Research Group
in Analytic Philosophy

Abstract

In discussions concerning fundamentality and metaphysical structure, it is often assumed that reality comes in layers, ultimately grounded in a fundamental level. This assumption, however, is by no means inescapable. In this talk, I will discuss alternatives to such metaphysical foundationalism, focusing in particular on what I call ‘metaphysical coherentism’: the view that reality (or parts of it) may be 'horizontally structured' on the basis of symmetric relations of mutual ontological dependence. I will characterize the view in some detail and present a couple of applications to specific issues in the philosophy of science.