The Size of Things

The book serves a twofold purpose. Firstly, it provides an introduction to classic and modern themes of the philosophy of space and time. Secondly, it presents a novel theoretical perspective on the field as the author develops his own position. Taking as a point of departure the seemingly naïve question How big is a thing?, Wyller argues that the particular size of spatially extended objects can neither be an intrinsic property of objects nor a relation between physical objects. Similar to the particular duration of events, the size of spatially extended objects is accessible only to embodied subjects. Consequently, determinate extension in space and time is essentially indexical, inconceivable in a world without human beings. The book requires no prior academic knowledge of philosophy or science, as all crucial concepts of relativistic physics, phenomenology and transcendental philosophy are carefully introduced and explained.