A note on the transitivity of parthood

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Varzi, Achille C.

Affiliations: Department of Philosophy, Columbia University, New York, USA

Abstract: That parthood is a transitive relation is among the most basic principles of classical mereology. Alas, it is also very controversial. In a recent paper, Ingvar Johansson has put forward a novel diagnosis of the problem, along with a corresponding solution. The diagnosis is on the right track, I argue, but the solution is misleading. And once the pieces are properly put together, we end up with a reinforcement of the standard defense of transitivity on behalf of classical mereology.

Journal: Applied Ontology, vol. 1, no. 2, pp. 141-146, 2006