Eli Hirsch is an American analytic philosopher at Brandeis University whose work centers on metaphysics, personal identity, and the ontology of physical objects. He is best known for developing the doctrine of quantifier variance, which holds that rival ontological frameworks may each be equally correct in their own linguistic terms. His writings challenge revisionary metaphysics and argue that commonsense object talk is philosophically defensible.
Developed the doctrine of quantifier variance, a major position in contemporary metaontology
Authored The Concept of Identity (1982), a foundational treatment of personal identity and persistence
Authored Dividing Reality (1993), advancing a theory of physical objects and their boundaries
Defended commonsense ontology against eliminativist and revisionary positions (e.g., van Inwagen, Sider)
Shaped debates on verbal disputes in ontology, arguing many metaphysical disagreements are merely terminological