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Individuals: An Essay in Descriptive Metaphysics
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Individuals: An Essay in Descriptive Metaphysics

work by Strawson
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Individuals: An Essay in Descriptive Metaphysics by P.F. Strawson is a significant work in analytic philosophy that revived interest in metaphysics. Published in 1959, the book uses ordinary language analysis to explore traditional metaphysical questions. Strawson challenged prevailing views, such as Bertrand Russell's theory of definite descriptions, arguing that some sentences are neither true nor false due to presupposition failure. The essay is foundational in descriptive metaphysics, focusing on the fundamental concepts and structures of our thought about reality, rather than proposing new metaphysical systems.123

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5 Britannica Sources
  1. Sir Peter Strawson
  2. universal - Possibilia
  3. philosophical anthropology - Foundations of phenomenology
  4. metaphysics - Nature and scope of metaphysics
  5. metaphysics

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