[PHILOS-L] TEAP – Ø. Linnebo “Non-instantial generality: What it is and why we need it”
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Jan 15, 2026, 2:18:30 PM (16 hours ago) Jan 15
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Dear all,
Øystein Linnebo (University of Oslo) – Non-instantial generality: What it is and why we need it
What features of reality are responsible for the truth of a universal generalization? The orthodox answer proceeds via the instances of the generalization. Everything is F because a is F, b is F, and so on, plus (perhaps) the fact that these are all the objects. I show that the orthodoxy needs to be supplemented with (wholly or partially) non-instantial explanations. E.g., we can explain why everything crimson is red or why every object has a singleton set without invoking any instances of these generalizations. Although non-instantial generality is familiar from mathematical intuitionism, I divorce the idea from the intuitionistic philosophy and show how it can be put on a robustly realist footing (say, in terms of Finean essences). With non-instantial generality on board, all the truths of intuitionistic (but not classical) first-order logic turn out to have a trivial truthmaker.
The talk will describe the truthmaker analysis of non-instantial generality developed in my “Generality explained”. Some more recent developments will also be discussed, especially an extension of my analysis of non-instantial generality to the framework of metaphysical grounding, as well as some applications of the analysis in philosophy and the foundations of mathematics.
Hope to see you online!
Caterina, Ludovica and Michele
we reminder you the first talk of the TEAP seminar series (Themes from Early Analytic Philosophy https://sites.google.com/view/themeseap).
The talk is scheduled for tomorrow, 16 Februart, 11-13 am (CET), at the following link: https://univienna.zoom.us/j/5880778120?pwd=sagYfjPsE7DV8IfbFzNEZSpfkK3UYz.1 .
Øystein Linnebo (University of Oslo) – Non-instantial generality: What it is and why we need it
What features of reality are responsible for the truth of a universal generalization? The orthodox answer proceeds via the instances of the generalization. Everything is F because a is F, b is F, and so on, plus (perhaps) the fact that these are all the objects. I show that the orthodoxy needs to be supplemented with (wholly or partially) non-instantial explanations. E.g., we can explain why everything crimson is red or why every object has a singleton set without invoking any instances of these generalizations. Although non-instantial generality is familiar from mathematical intuitionism, I divorce the idea from the intuitionistic philosophy and show how it can be put on a robustly realist footing (say, in terms of Finean essences). With non-instantial generality on board, all the truths of intuitionistic (but not classical) first-order logic turn out to have a trivial truthmaker.
The talk will describe the truthmaker analysis of non-instantial generality developed in my “Generality explained”. Some more recent developments will also be discussed, especially an extension of my analysis of non-instantial generality to the framework of metaphysical grounding, as well as some applications of the analysis in philosophy and the foundations of mathematics.
Hope to see you online!
Caterina, Ludovica and Michele
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