"Haecceitism and Individuals"

Haecceitism has been hotly debated for almost four decades as the thesis that, roughly, facts concerning the identity of individuals are not necessitated by facts that do not involve the identity of any individual. Researchers interested in the topic, though, do not even universally agree about the very understanding of the relevant doctrine. What seems to go unquestioned in the literature, however, is the idea that Haecceitism – along with some notions on which its very statement crucially depends – should be phrased in terms that appeal to the concept of individuality and be construed as a theory that only applies to individuals. This workshop will focus on that assumption and on the  lack of a clear-cut definition of individuality in the literature about Haecceitism - which usually goes overlooked. We will also focus on old and new arguments for and against Haecceitism, and examine the connections between Haecceitism and some related theses that (seem to) depend on the notion of individuality as well – in particular, Individualism, i.e. the claim that there are fundamental facts involving the identity of some individuals, and hence (?) that the individuals those very facts “are about” do exist at the fundamental level of reality. 

The workshop will be part of the Swiss FNS project “Essences, Identities and Individuals. Haecceitism as a Theory of Individual Essences”.