
Published online:
23 May 2013
Published in print:
30 August 2012
Online ISBN:
9780191743351
Print ISBN:
9780199645084
Contents
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
1 Introduction 1 Introduction
-
2 Containment 2 Containment
-
3 Causation 3 Causation
-
4 Working parts 4 Working parts
-
5 Significant effects 5 Significant effects
-
6 Vagueness 6 Vagueness
-
7 Microreduction 7 Microreduction
-
8 Supervenience 8 Supervenience
-
9 Supervenience and vagueness 9 Supervenience and vagueness
-
10 Supervenience and microreduction 10 Supervenience and microreduction
-
11 Microreduction, causation, and laws 11 Microreduction, causation, and laws
-
12 Contingency and indeterminism 12 Contingency and indeterminism
-
-
-
-
-
-
Cite
Mellor, D. H., '11 Micro-composition', Mind, Meaning, and Reality: Essays in Philosophy (Oxford , 2012; online edn, Oxford Academic, 23 May 2013), https://doi.org/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199645084.003.0012, accessed 5 May 2025.
Abstract
This chapter attacks the widely-held micro-reductionist thesis that, ontologically speaking, all material wholes material things with material parts — are ‘nothing but’ their parts. Its objections to this thesis include the vagueness of the ‘is a part of’ predicate, the causal nature of part–whole relations between material things, the failure of most properties of wholes to supervene on the properties and relations of their parts, and the indeterminism of many of the laws linking the two.
Keywords:
composition, micro-reduction, part-whole relations, causation, supervenience, laws of nature, indeterminism
Collection:
Oxford Scholarship Online
You do not currently have access to this chapter.
Sign in
Personal account
- Sign in with email/username & password
- Get email alerts
- Save searches
- Purchase content
- Activate your purchase/trial code
- Add your ORCID iD
Purchase
Our books are available by subscription or purchase to libraries and institutions.
Purchasing informationMetrics
View Metrics
Metrics
Total Views
5
4
Pageviews
1
PDF Downloads
Since 10/1/2022
Month: | Total Views: |
---|---|
October 2022 | 1 |
November 2022 | 1 |
February 2024 | 2 |
July 2024 | 1 |
Citations
Altmetrics
More from Oxford Academic
Get help with access
Institutional access
Access to content on Oxford Academic is often provided through institutional subscriptions and purchases. If you are a member of an institution with an active account, you may be able to access content in one of the following ways:
IP based access
Typically, access is provided across an institutional network to a range of IP addresses. This authentication occurs automatically, and it is not possible to sign out of an IP authenticated account.
Sign in through your institution
Choose this option to get remote access when outside your institution. Shibboleth/Open Athens technology is used to provide single sign-on between your institution’s website and Oxford Academic.
If your institution is not listed or you cannot sign in to your institution’s website, please contact your librarian or administrator.
Sign in with a library card
Enter your library card number to sign in. If you cannot sign in, please contact your librarian.
Society Members
Society member access to a journal is achieved in one of the following ways:
Sign in through society site
Many societies offer single sign-on between the society website and Oxford Academic. If you see ‘Sign in through society site’ in the sign in pane within a journal:
If you do not have a society account or have forgotten your username or password, please contact your society.
Sign in using a personal account
Some societies use Oxford Academic personal accounts to provide access to their members. See below.
Personal account
A personal account can be used to get email alerts, save searches, purchase content, and activate subscriptions.
Some societies use Oxford Academic personal accounts to provide access to their members.
Viewing your signed in accounts
Click the account icon in the top right to:
Signed in but can't access content
Oxford Academic is home to a wide variety of products. The institutional subscription may not cover the content that you are trying to access. If you believe you should have access to that content, please contact your librarian.
Institutional account management
For librarians and administrators, your personal account also provides access to institutional account management. Here you will find options to view and activate subscriptions, manage institutional settings and access options, access usage statistics, and more.