Ontological dependence is a relation—or, more accurately, a family of relations—between
entities or beings. For there are various ways in which one being may be said to depend …

This essay focuses on a recently prominent notion of (metaphysical) ground which is
distinctive for how it links metaphysics to explanation. Ground is supposed to serve both as …

After an introductory section, this article will focus on four questions: How should the Kyoto
School be defined? What is meant by its central philosophical concept of “absolute …

How do we come to know metaphysical truths? How does metaphysical inquiry work? Are
metaphysical debates substantial? These are the questions which characterize …

The notion of fundamentality, as it is used in metaphysics, aims to capture the idea that there
is something basic or primitive in the world. This metaphysical notion is related to the …

A number of philosophers think that grounding is, in some sense, well-founded. This thesis,
however, is not always articulated precisely, nor is there a consensus in the literature as to …

Does the real world, defined as a world of objects that exist independent of human interests,
concerns, and cognitive activities, really exist? Jan Westerhoff argues that we have good …

A commonly held view is that a central aim of metaphysics is to give a fundamental account
of reality which refers only to the fundamental entities. But a puzzle arises. It is at least a …

This chapter focuses on two questions about the infinite descent of ground: what it is and
whether it is possible. Dixon notes that infinite descent is possible in both infinitist and …

Philosophers interested in the notion of ground are commonly of the view that the grounding,
or metaphysical dependence, relation is necessarily asymmetric, irreflexive and transitive …