Table of Contents

Preface
1: Ontology and metaphysics
2: Innocent statements
3: Quantification
4: Internalism, externalism, ontology
5: Talk about natural numbers
6: The philosophy of arithmetic
7: Ordinary objects
8: Talk about properties and propositions
9: Inexpressible properties
10: Ineffable facts
11: Objects, properties, universals
12: The philosophical project of ontology
13: Esoteric and egalitarian metaphysics
14: Conclusion
Bibliography
Index

About the Author

Thomas Hofweber is professor of philosophy at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. His research specializes in metaphysics and the philosophy of language. He studied for his undergraduate degree at the University of Munich, before completing his PhD at Stanford University. Before moving to North Carolina, he taught at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.

Reviews

this is a fantastic book ... It is highly original, full of interesting ideas, impressive in its scope, and manages to be accessible without sacrificing rigor. ... it deserves to have a lasting impact on the field.
*David Kovacs, The Journal of Philosophy*

Thomas Hofweber has written a very rich book.
*Gabriel Uzquiano, Analysis Book Symposium*

Thomas Hofweber's book brings together, inter-weaves, and expands upon the author's seminal work on the ontology of numbers - as well as properties, propositions, and ordinary objects - from the past ten or so years. The book is thematically varied and rich in interesting discussions and insights. The writing is lucid, discussions of rival positions are fair, arguments are developed carefully, and crucial junctures are appropriately sign-posted. Thus, the book is both an enjoyable and an instructive read and can be highly recommended to everyone interested in any of the topics covered.
*Robert Schwartzkopff, Zeitschrift für philosophische Forschung*

This book unifies and extends the author's previous work across metaphysics and the philosophy of language and logic with a careful eye toward the foundations of ontology. The result is rich, skilfully crafted, and mandatory for anyone working in (meta-)ontology or nearby areas in the philosophy of mathematics and language where entities like numbers, properties and propositions generate controversy. It will repay a careful reader's interest many times over.
*Sam Cowling, The Philosophical Quarterly*

Thomas Hofweber's Ontology and the Ambitions of Metaphysics (2016) contains lots of interesting and challenging ideas and arguments, together amounting to an original, systematic, well-argued perspective on metaphysics. Hofweber's work is a highly significant contribution to the contemporary metaphysical discussion.
*Matti Eklund, Analysis*

Hofweber has written a first-rate book, chock-full of insight. It sets forth an ambitious research program, aimed at producing a linguistically informed philosophy of arithmetic. If the project succeeds, it will deliver unusually illuminating answers to longstanding philosophical questions.
*AgustÍn Rayo, Philosophy and Phenomenological Research Book Symposium*

Thomas Hofweber's Ontology and the Ambitions of Metaphysics is ambitious, thoughtprovoking, and a good read. It expands upon a project he's developed in several previous papers-a project that seamlessly weaves together both metaphysics and metametaphysics. The book is as much about methodology as it is about the substantive conclusions he draws about what there is. As a consequence, it is a long book that covers a lot of ground.
*Karen Bennett, Philosophy and Phenomenological Research Book Symposium*

Rich and rewarding ... Hofweber offers a beautiful picture of natural numbers, properties, and facts.
*Thomas Sattig, Philosophy and Phenomenological Research Book Symposium*