We define a notion of difference-making for partial grounds of a fact in rough analogy to existing notions of difference-making for causes of an event. Using orthodox assumptions about ground, we show that it induces a non-trivial division with examples of partial grounds on both sides. We then demonstrate the theoretical fruitfulness of the notion by applying it to the analysis of a certain ki...

ion: The grounding relations are relations of abstraction. The derivative entities, in order to be an ‘‘ontological free lunch’’ and count as no further addition, ought to be already latent within the substances. In other words, the grounding relations should just be ways of separating out aspects that are implicitly present from the start.37 Here is the sort of picture of substances that these...

others were seriously injured. Other workers risked their lives to fetch the smallest cubs from the breeding centre and carry them to safety. Two of the centre’s 53 pandas were injured and six went missing, but four returned later. However, staff managed to transport eight pandas to Chengdu where they were flown to Beijing. Conservationists hope the arrival of the animals at Beijing zoo will hi...

Although worship has a pivotal place in religious thought and practice, philosophers of religion have had remarkably little to say about it. In this paper we examine some of the many questions surrounding the notion of worship, focusing on the claim that human beings have obligations to worship God. We explore a number of attempts to ground our supposed duty to worship God, and argue that each ...

In his paper A (Moral) Prisoner’s Dilemma: Character Ethics and Plea Bargaining, 1 Andrew Ingram presents us with an interesting variation on the famous Prisoner’s Dilemma. Ingram’s puzzle offers a change in perspective—a Prosecutor’s Dilemma. Two coconspirators scheme to jointly participate in a spree of petty thefts. During one of the petty thefts, they run into misfortune—they are caught. Th...