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Plural Identity
Author(s) -
Kim Joongol
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
philosophy and phenomenological research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.7
H-Index - 39
eISSN - 1933-1592
pISSN - 0031-8205
DOI - 10.1111/phpr.12626
Subject(s) - plural , identity (music) , relation (database) , linguistics , epistemology , psychology , social psychology , philosophy , computer science , aesthetics , database
Plural identity—the relation of identity between some things xx and some things yy —has been standardly defined in terms of the plural relation one of (or among ). This paper challenges that standard view. To that end, it will be argued, first, that the identity relation, singular or plural, can only be defined in a higher‐order language, second, that the standard definition of plural identity in terms of the one of (or among ) relation should be regarded instead as providing a criterion of identity for pluralities of some particular kind, and third, that there are pluralities of another kind with which a different criterion of identity is associated. The upshot will be that plural identity as standardly defined cannot be the plural counterpart of singular identity.