Writing the Book of the World

In order to describe the world perfectly, one must describe it in its own terms. In this ambitious and comprehensive book, Theodore Sider argues that for a representation to be fully successful, truth is not enough; the representation must also use the right conceptsconcepts that carve at the jointsso that its conceptual structure matches realitys structure. There is an objectively correct way to write the book of the world. Siders argument begins from the assertion that metaphysics is about the fundamental structure of reality. Not about whats necessarily true; not about what properties are essential; not about conceptual analysis; and not about what there is. While inquiry into necessity, essence, concepts, or ontology might help to illuminate realitys structure, the ultimate goal is insight into this structure. Part of Siders theory of structure is an account of how structure connects to other concepts. For example, structure can be used to illuminate laws of nature, explanation, reference, induction, physical geometry, substantivity, conventionality, objectivity, and metametaphysics. Another part is an account of how structure behaves. Since structure is a way of thinking about fundamentality, Siders account implies distinctive answers to questions about the nature of fundamentality. These answers distinguish his theory of structure which is a generalization and extension of David Lewiss theory of natural properties from other recent theories of fundamentality, including Kit Fines theory of ground and reality, the theory of truthmaking, and Jonathan Schaffers theory of ontological dependence. The book concludes by applying the theory of structure to four topics: ontology, logic, time, and modality.