Trope Theory

Hume as a Trope Nominalist

by Jani Hakkarainen

I will give this paper at the panel on nominalism and relations in Hume Conference, Calgary, July 18-22, 2012.

Three Theories in The Contemporary Problem of Universals (In Japanese)

by Reina Saijo

published in The Kyoto Graduate Journal for Philosophy, Tetsugaku-Ronso, 38 (2011) supplement : S73-84 (non-reviewed and in Japanese)
original title 「現代普遍論争の諸相––普遍者・クラス・トロープ––」

The Vanguardis Imperative (!) State-ment of Nation (.) and Language Question (?) in Mozambique, 1975-1995

by Erik Lee Skjon

Relations de vérifaction, Philosophiques, vol. 38, no. 1, printemps 2011, pp. 305-330.

by Anne-Marie Boisvert

Tropes, Universals and the Philosophy of Mind: Essays at the Boundary of Ontology and Philosophical Psychology

by Simone Gozzano

Editors' Introduction to the volume Editors' Introduction to the volume

On Tropes' simplicity and mental causation

by Simone Gozzano

in Gozzano S. Orilia F. (Eds) Tropes, Universals, and the Philosophy of Mind, Ontos, FRankfurt

Abstract. In this paper I first try to clarify the essential features of tropes and then I use the resulting analysis... more Abstract. In this paper I first try to clarify the essential features of tropes and then I use the resulting analysis to cope with the problem of mental causation. As to the first step, I argue that tropes, beside being essentially particular and abstract, are simple, where such a simplicity can be considered either from a phenomenal point of view or from a structural point of view. Once this feature is spelled out, the role tropes may play in solving the problem of mental causation is evaluated. It is argued that no solution based on the determinable/determinate relation is viable without begging the question as regards the individuating conditions of the related properties. Next, it is shown that Robb’s solution, much in the spirit of Davidson’s anomalous monism, entails abandoning the assumption that tropes are essentially simple, a consequence that I find not acceptable. My conclusion is that these entities are of no help in solving the problem of mental causation, and that a universalist approach should be preferred.