Parts

Although the relationship of part to whole is one of the most fundamental there is this is the first full-length study of this key concept. Showing that mereology or the formal theory of part and whole is essential to ontology Simons surveys and critiques previous theories--especially the standard extensional view--and proposes a new account that encompasses both temporal and modal considerations. Simons''s revised theory not only allows him to offer fresh solutions to long-standing problems but also has far-reaching consequences for our understanding of a host of classical philosophical concepts.