The Rationalist’s Road to Neutral Monism

The Monist (2026)
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Abstract

The Principle of Sufficient Reason (PSR) is a cornerstone of rationalist metaphysics, yet many of its consequences remain underexplored. I argue that among these underexplored consequences is a striking variety of neutral monism, construed as the thesis that all entities share the same fundamental modal base. My argument proceeds in three stages. First, I motivate a commitment to attributes, metaphysically necessary properties that ultimately explain an entity’s modal profile. Second, I argue that the PSR supports the claim that every entity must instantiate every attribute. Third, I draw out the metaphysical implications of this conclusion: I show that it rules out substance dualism, versions of reductive and nonreductive physicalism, and idealism in favour of a neutral monist ontology.

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Fatema Amijee
University of British Columbia

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References found in this work

Modal Logic as Metaphysics.Timothy Williamson - 2013 - Oxford, England: Oxford University Press.
A World of States of Affairs.D. Armstrong - 1996 - New York: Cambridge University Press.
Metaphysical Rationalism.Shamik Dasgupta - 2014 - Noûs 50 (2):379-418.
The Analysis of Matter.Bertrand Russell - 1927 - Humana Mente 3 (9):93-95.
Fundamental determinables.Jessica Wilson - 2012 - Philosophers' Imprint 12.

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