I am a PhD candidate in the Department of Philosophy at Syracuse University. I earned my BA and MA in Philosophy from Chung-Ang University in South Korea.
My research mainly focuses on Metaphysics, Philosophical Logic, and Philosophy of Language.
Groundwork for a Return to Parsimonious First-order Metaphysics
A growing movement in contemporary metaphysics—higher-order metaphysics—holds that metaphysical theorizing must be conducted in a language that employs higher-order quantification alongside first-order quantification. Against this tide, my dissertation defends first-order metaphysics, the Quinean doctrine that metaphysical theorizing must be conducted in a language that employs only first-order quantification. I show that first-order metaphysics, when combined with the principle of ontological parsimony (also known as Occam’s razor), defuses the principal objections raised against it, each of which turns on a version of Russell’s Paradox. I then identify further theoretical benefits of parsimonious first-order metaphysics, showing that it resolves a paradox arising elsewhere in metaphysics. Finally, I develop arguments against higher-order metaphysics itself.
I am currently the chair of KPAS, a workshop for Korean graduate students in philosophy studying in North America. We meet weekly to present work in progress, discuss developing ideas, and exchange feedback.
If you are a Korean philosopher based in North America and are interested in joining, please email me at the address listed below.
If you are interested in joining, please email me at
mkim66@syr.edu.
