The problem of creation and abstract artifacts.

Abstract artifacts such as musical works and fictional entities are human creations; they are intentional products of our actions and activities. One line of argument against abstract artifacts is that abstract objects are not the kind of objects that can be created. This is so, it is argued, becaus...

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Published in:Synthese Vol. 198; no. 10; pp. 9695 - 9709
Main Author: Irmak, Nurbay
Format: Article
Published: Springer Nature Oct2021
Subjects:
Online Access:View this record in EBSCOhost
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        au: Irmak, Nurbay
        affil: Department of Philosophy, Boğaziçi University, 34342, Bebek, Istanbul, Turkey
      su:
        Argument
        Musicals
        Concrete
        Intention
      sug:
        subj:
          Argument
          Musicals
          Concrete
          Intention
      keyword:
        Abstract objects
        Artifacts
        Creation
        Musical works
        Ontological dependence
        Ontology
      ab: Abstract artifacts such as musical works and fictional entities are human creations; they are intentional products of our actions and activities. One line of argument against abstract artifacts is that abstract objects are not the kind of objects that can be created. This is so, it is argued, because abstract objects are causally inert. Since creation requires being caused to exist, abstract objects cannot be created. One common way to refute this argument is to reject the causal inefficacy of abstracta. I argue that creationists should rather reject the principle that creation requires causation. Creation, in my view, is a non-causal relation that can be explained using an appropriate notion of ontological dependence. The existence and the creation of abstract artifacts depend on certain individuals with appropriate intentions, along with events of a certain kind that include but are not limited to creations of certain concrete objects.
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    language: English
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