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    Quine argued in 'On What There Is' that positing irreduci... — Carmelics
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    Challenges→Ontological modalities ground the differences between the real, ideal, knowledge, and logical spheres of being.

    Quine argued in 'On What There Is' that positing irreducibly distinct ontological spheres multiplies entities beyond necessity and violates parsimony.

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    1 reason for
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    Reasons For

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    Reason for
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    • 1.Ontological parsimony is a rational principle: simpler theories requiring fewer fundamental kinds are preferable when empirically equivalent.
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    • 2.Multiple irreducible spheres (abstract objects, physical objects, etc.) create explanatory redundancy without improving predictive power.
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    • 3.Univocal existence criteria across domains is methodologically simpler than defending distinct existence standards for different entity-types.
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    Reasons Against

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    Reason against
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    • 1.Some domains exhibit genuinely distinct causal properties: abstract entities causally inert, physical entities causally efficacious—conflating them obscures real differences.
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    • 2.Parsimony itself is theoretically underdetermined; Quine provides no principled argument for why ontological parsimony should override explanatory adequacy.
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    • 3.Mathematical and logical truths require abstract objects to preserve their indispensability; eliminating them requires revisionist mathematics with severe costs.
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    Related

    Mathematical and logical truths require abstract objects to preserve their indis...Multiple irreducible spheres (abstract objects, physical objects, etc.) create e...Ontological modalities ground the differences between the real, ideal, knowledge...Ontological parsimony is a rational principle: simpler theories requiring fewer ...
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    Parsimony itself is theoretically underdetermined; Quine provides no principled ...Some domains exhibit genuinely distinct causal properties: abstract entities cau...Univocal existence criteria across domains is methodologically simpler than defe...

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