Artefacts of Representational Choices

Abstract Kant asked: how is metaphysics so much as possible? Quine answered: because metaphysics is broadly continuous with science. But Quine‘s answer gives us no reason to think that „joint-carving“ metaphysics is possible. Joint-carvers want our theoretical primitives to keep track of what is metaphysically primitive (or funda-mental, as opposed to derivative). But we have no reason to think that such a thing is possible. To explain why, I‘ll offer some general considerations, a particular case study. (about space), and a logical argument. The upshot of all of these is that we always end up with (arbitrary) artefacts of representational choices.