Metaphysics of Quantities - Hardcover

by J. E. Wolff (Author)

What are physical quantities, and in particular, what makes them quantitative?

This book articulates and defends an original answer to this important, insufficiently understood question through the novel position of substantival structuralism. This position argues that quantitativeness is an irreducible feature of attributes, and quantitative attributes are best understood as substantival structured spaces. The book first explores what it means for an attribute to be quantitative, and what metaphysical implications a commitment to quantitative attributes has. It then sets the stage to address the metaphysical and ontological consequences of the existence of quantitative attributes.

Author Biography

J. E. Wolff, Senior Lecturer in Metaphysics and Philosophy of Sciences, University of Edinburgh

Jo E. Wolff is Senior Lecturer in Metaphysics and Philosophy of Sciences at the University of Edinburgh. Wolff earned a PhD in philosophy from Stanford University and held appointments at the University of Hong Kong and King's College London before joining the department at Edinburgh in 2019.