| Sum, mereological: mereology is the theory that examines the relationship of parts and totals. A mereological sum is not identical with a whole; it can be formed from parts of different individuals. According to P. Simons (Simons, “Parts. A Study in Ontology”, Oxford, 1987, p. 3), a mereological sum results from the idea of a family of objects that are maximally connected under a particular relation. This definition does not always coincide with the smallest upper bound. (Simons, p. 12). See also complexes, whole, totality, parts, part-of-relation, mereology, barrier._____________Annotation: The above characterizations of concepts are neither definitions nor exhausting presentations of problems related to them. Instead, they are intended to give a short introduction to the contributions below. – Lexicon of Arguments. |
