Talk by Stephan Leuenberger (5 Jan 2012)

Philosophy Seminar Series: 5Jan 2012, 2-4pm, Philosophy Resource Room; Speaker: Stephan Leuenberger, Lecturer, University of Glasgow; Moderator: Dr. Tang Weng Hong

Abstract:
Philosophical theses are sometimes put by saying that one class of facts grounds another such class. Recently, several authors have tried to clarify and regiment such talk of grounding, and have asked about what features the relation of grounding has. The orthodox view is that grounding is a necessary connection among facts: if some facts ground another fact, they necessitate it, and the grounding fact itself is non-contingent. I shall challenge this view by presenting potential counterexamples. Finally, I will sketch a positive account of grounding that allows it to be contingent.

About the speaker: Stephan Leuenberger is a lecturer at the University of Glasgow, specializing in metaphysics. Before joining Glasgow in 2008, he studied at the Universities of Bern (Lic. Phil), Oxford (B.Phil), and Princeton (PhD), and held postdoctoral fellowships at the Australian National University and the University of Leeds.
More information on the Philosophy Seminar Series can be found here. A list of past talks in the series can be found here.