![]() I think that gives us a reason to believe in a fundamental layer, but it ’ s defeasible. I do think there is something beneficial about metaphysical views on which everything is ultimately grounded in a fundamental layer: there is a kind of explanatory benefit, a unity of explanation, that we sacrifice if we accept a world of infinite descent. I think that ’ s partly an empirical question. I think infinite descent-reality having no fundamental layer-is possible. Universities do not belong alongside electrons in physicists ’ catalog of the elements of being! Whether there ’ s a single notion of grounding, as Jonathan Schaffer thinks, or whether there are a multitude of different grounding relations, as Jessica Wilson thinks, is a difficult issue-but that there is some phenomenon whereby some features of reality give rise to others is hard to deny. For example, in his answer to a question about grounding, he brings up the roles of the empirical and the useful in addressing metaphysical questions. His remarks are interesting and informative throughout. In the interview, Professor Cameron explains his views on a number of topics in contemporary metaphysics, including philosophy of time, grounding, mereology, and vagueness. One sociological change is that it ’ s become absolutely standard to see these topics in metaphysics textbooks, being taught to undergraduates, being presented at mainstream metaphysics conferences, etc. (Although it wouldn ’ t be at all surprising to someone from farther back in the history of philosophy.) People still do the metaphysics of time, possibility, existence, etc., but also the metaphysics of race, gender, disability, social groups, sexuality, etc. I think it ’ s in a pretty good state: we ’ ve emerged from the darkness of logical positivism, ordinary language philosophy, and conceptual analysis, and are once again unapologetically trying to say something about reality! I suppose one thing that might surprise someone coming from near pre-Lewis/Kripke times is the variety of phenomena that are taken to be legitimate subjects of metaphysical theorizing.
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