Composition as Identity

Composition is the relation between a whole and its parts-the parts are said to compose the whole; the whole is composed of the parts. But is a whole anything distinct from its parts taken collectively? It is often said that 'a whole is nothing over and above its parts'; but what might we mean by that? Could it be that a whole just is its parts? This collection of essays is the first of its kind to focus on the relationship between composition and identity. Twelve original articles-written by internationally renowned scholars and rising stars in the field-argue for and against the controversial doctrine that composition is identity. An editor's introduction sets out the formal and philosophical groundwork to bring readers to the forefront of the debate.List of Contributors ; PART I: INTRODUCTION AND HISTORY ; 1. Composition As Identity: Framing The Debate ; 2. On Bits and Pieces in the History of Philosophy ; PART II: ONTOLOGICAL COMMITMENTS OF CAI ; 3. Counting and Countenancing ; 4. Ontological Innocence ; 5. Parts Generate The Whole, But They Are Not Identical To It ; PART III: METAPHYSICAL COMMITMENTS OF CAI ; 6. Composition As Identity, Mereological Essentialism, and Modal Parts ; 7. Compositional Pluralism and Composition As Identity ; 8. Unrestricted Composition As Identity ; PART IV: LOGICAL COMMITMENTS OF CAI ; 9. Is There A Plural Object? ; 10. Logical Considerations On Composition As Identity ; 11. Consequences Of Collapse ; PART V: INDISCERNIBILITY AND CAI ; 12. Donald Baxter's Composition As Identity ; 13. Identity, Discernibility, and Composition ; Index