Abstract:
The T-shirt problem for explanatory metaphysics is the problem of finding a system of metaphysical principles compact enough to write on a T-shirt. The problem arises from the thought that explanation requires links, and that metaphysical explanations must cover molecules, mountains, minds, marching bands, and the whole menagerie of derivative reality. How can a compact system of principles cover molecules, mountains, minds, marching bands, and the whole menagerie of derivative reality? I offer a solution which treats the explanatory links via counterfactuals that are analyzed in terms of metaphysical principles but not identified with them, allowing a compact system of principles to back an expansive range of links.