Work

Composition as Trans-Scalar Identity

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: We define mereologically invariant composition as the relation between a whole object and its parts when the object retains the same parts during a time interval. We argue that mereologically invariant composition is identity between a whole and its parts taken collectively. Our reason is that parts and wholes are equivalent measurements of a portion of reality at different scales in the precise sense employed by measurement theory. The purpose of these scales is the numerical representation of primitive relations between quantities of being. To show this, we prove representation and uniqueness theorems for composition. We conclude that mereologically invariant composition is trans-scalar identity.

Source: Acta Analytica

DOI: 10.1007/s12136-025-00645-3

Authors: Alexander Schumm, Waldemar Rohloff, Gualtiero Piccinini

Institutions: University of Missouri–St. Louis, University of Missouri

Language: English

Topic: Philosophy and Theoretical Science

Subfield: Experimental and Cognitive Psychology

Field: Psychology

Domain: Social Sciences

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $3,190

Funders: National Science Foundation, University of Missouri