Composition As Identity

Composition is the relation between a whole and its parts--the parts are said to compose the whole; the whole is composed of the parts. But is a whole anything distinct from its parts taken collectively? It is often said that 'a whole is nothing over and above its parts'; but what might we mean by that? Could it be that a whole just is its parts?
This collection of essays is the first of its kind to focus on the relationship between composition and identity. Twelve original articles--written by internationally renowned scholars and rising stars in the field--argue for and against the controversial doctrine that composition is identity. An editor's introduction sets out the formal and philosophical groundwork to bring readers to the forefront of the debate.

Aaron Cotnoir is a Lecturer in the Department of Logic and Metaphysics at the University of St Andrews, member of the Arche Philosophical Research Center, and an Associate Fellow of the Northern Institute of Philosophy. He received his PhD in philosophy from the University of Connecticut in 2010. He works primarily in Metaphysics and Philosophical Logic.

Donald L. M. Baxter is Professor and Head of the Philosophy Department at the University of Connecticut. He received his Ph.D. in 1984 from the University of Pittsburgh and first taught at Princeton University. He works mainly in Metaphysics and in Early Modern Western Philosophy. His monograph, Hume's Difficulty: Time and Identity in the Treatise, was published by Routledge in 2008.