THE PLURALISM OF MODES OF EXISTENCE: ONTOLOGY AND GENEALOGY

This thesis has two objectives: to reconstruct the genealogy of the concept of “mode of existence,” which occupies a central position in contemporary philosophical debate, both continental and analytical; and to discuss the conceptions of modes of existence developed by different authors. The first part outlines an approach called “existential ontology,” proposed as a replacement for Husserl's formal ontology once the residues of univocity are renounced and the multifariousness of being is accepted, which should allow for a comparison of the concepts of “mode of existence” proposed by the authors examined. The second part provides a general framework for interpreting the genealogy of these concepts, based on the distinction between three traditions that have conceptualized the question of modes of existence: the analytical tradition (born out of the debate between Meinong and Russell); the phenomenological tradition (originating from Husserl); and the speculative tradition (whose origin can be traced back to the early 1900s debate between William James and F.H. Bradley).The third part of the thesis follows this latter tradition, examining its developments in French philosophy, with chapters devoted to Étienne Souriau, Gilbert Simondon, and Bruno Latour, as well as Gilles Deleuze, examined as the “nemesis” of speculative philosophies of modes of existence as the major speculative proponent of the univocity of being. The conclusion summarizes the positive proposal on how to understand the concept of “mode of existence” that has emerged from these analyses, completing the formal framework that should pave the way for discussion on particular modes of existence.