ABSTRACT
The idea is to extrapolate what ground is from its potential applications to various topics. An approach from below begins by collecting examples of ground’s potential applications. Each application on its own may be of interest. But the collection itself may be of interest for its bearing on ground. Any given collection might contain patterns or recurring themes. These topics have attracted and sustained the interest of those exploring ground’s potential applications. A partial list of these topics includes: identity, laws of metaphysics, laws of nature, logic, mind, normativity, physicalism, semantics, and social entities. This chapter explores proposals for stating identity criteria in terms of ground. It also addresses whether and when to take identity facts to be ungrounded. The chapter’s main focus is on the question of whether metaphysical laws are primitive or reducible. It sketches three arguments in favor of primitive metaphysical laws and discusses problems that such laws would face.
