ABSTRACT
Rather than defining what examples are, the introductory chapter opens with a question: what is going on when we give or ask for examples? It indicates that while the default notion is that we offer examples to illustrate a concept or point that is fully available to us even beforehand, the role that examples play is in reality much more varied. Examples can also first establish the point in question, so that it is conceivable both for the audience and for those who provide the examples. Sometimes examples provide material or guidance for reflection in the continuous absence of any generality. The opening exposition of this variety of use is connected to the debate about examples between philosophers, most importantly between Kant and Kantian thinkers (such as O’Neill) on the one hand, who argue for the primacy of generality, and Wittgenstein and some Wittgensteinians (such as Winch or Phillips) on the other hand, who stress the importance of particularity.
