Sine quibus non

This thesis would not be if I were not, and I wouldn’t be if it wasn’t for a lot of people. The length of my acknowledgements would easily surpass the length of this work if I had to do justice to all those which have helped me to make myself. I will argue in this thesis that individual persons have a community of people as a precondition, but that communities would be nothing if they weren’t composed of individual people. The following list is an attempt at breaking the appearance of circularity of the previous statement. I happily give them all the credit, but I demand that I should take the blame.

My father and Diego Oviedo awakened my interest in philosophy. The former also played all the positive and negative roles that a father should play. Many people in the Philosophy Department of the University of Granada deserve my deep appreciation: Fernando Fernández, Aurelio Pérez Fustegueras, Javier Rodríguez Alcázar, Pepe Navarro, and especially María José Frápolli and Juan José Acero. They have always helped me way beyond their obligation. Everyone in the Philosophy Department in University College Galway should also be thanked, as does Karsten Harries, of Yale University, for his kindness and encouragement after being the examiner of my M.Phil. thesis.

Sussex University, and in particular the School of Cognitive and Computing Sciences, is a fabulous place to think, work and argue. In addition, I should thank these institutions for their Teaching Assistantship which allowed me to carry on my research, if I had not already done so by earning it with the sweat of my body and mind. I have learned many things from Wai Lai, Joe Faith and the other attendees of different discussion and reading groups: CogPhi, E-intentionality and PhilSoc. The advice of the members of my Research Committee, Margaret Boden, Ron Chrisley and Andy Clark and Murali Ramachandran, was very valuable. I should not forget my students; I’d be satisfied if they got from me as much as I got from them.

Over and above that, I owe to Sussex University something I did not expect, an enviable group of friends. Argi Arfani, Jason Noble, Phil Jones, Ronald Lemmen, Tom Beament, Hilan Bensusan, Ron, Oli Sharpe and Darius Sokolov haven’t just broadened my philosophical outlook, but they have shared with me moments which range from the etymological to the everyday meaning of pathetic.

Juan José, Hilan, Oli, Jason, Ronald, Ron and Tom have read parts of previous drafts and contributed all sorts of suggestions and improvements. In particular, Hilan, Jason and Tom have been masochistic enough to read the whole thing and to allow me free access to their almost infinite store of records, books, drink and intelligence. It is said that one should not thank his supervisor, considering that he gets paid for the job. This cannot apply to Murali, not only the ideal supervisor, but a generous and extraordinary human being.

I could not appreciate the greatness of these people if I hadn’t had the privilege of being brought up with Julio and Ana. Ronnie has also helped without his being aware of it. I wish there were convincing arguments to include him in the space of reasons. Jesús Palomo, Manolo León, Enrique Novi, Jerónimo Fernández-Casas, Gerry Barrett, Con Crowley and Edel Murphy represent here all those with whom I learned friendship and love.

My mother, still the morning star of my mental north, would remain unconvinced that I had to give up science. This thesis is dedicated to her memory and to all those who carry her with them. And to Mar Muriana. Reality is never clearer than when one is also capable of looking at it with someone else’s eyes. Your time keeps filling my space.