A Program for "Naturalizing" Metaphysics, with Application to the Ontology of Events

This chapter proposes an approach to metaphysics involving the use of cognitive science. It begins by identifying the general makeup and characterization of metaphysical investigations, citing Earl Conee's definition, which basically says that metaphysics refers to the study of the nature of the world, apart from man's perception of it. Furthermore, the chapter states that the inclusion of cognitive science can support revisionary claims, which are relevant in the discussion of the reality of psychological concepts. In addition, it addresses the metaphysics of events, the problem with event individuation, and the systems of mental representation in connection with event ontology.