Conclusion

The conclusion ties the work done here to the broader goals of demystifying and reorienting metaphysics. It aims to demystify metaphysics by showing that metaphysical questions that are well-formed and answerable can be answered in ways that require nothing more mysterious than conceptual and empirical work. It also aims to reorient metaphysics toward work on how our conceptual scheme does work, and on what linguistic or conceptual scheme we ought to use. The conclusion also aims to draw out the three threads that have been interwoven throughout this book: the neo-pragmatist functional pluralist idea that modal talk is non-descriptive, the deflationary meta-ontological “easy ontology” view, and the view that the rules of use for our terms are often open-textured and revisable. While these three views are separable in principle, together they form a stronger package, and exemplify an approach that may also prove useful in addressing other philosophical problems.