Synthetic Philosophy and Deductive Engineering
In SPaDE’s synthetic philosophy, metaphysics is an element of the synthetic epistemology which provides philosophical bedrock.
In keeping with the positivist sympathies and heritage of synthetic philosophy, the parts which can reasonably be called metaphysics are small, consisting primarily of abstract ontology and its relationship to concrete ontology, both of which are instrumental in the ways in which we talk, and hence a part of any account of language and declarative knowledge.
In SPaDE we will use the term “conventional” in a technical sense which omits any social connotations. The term should not be understood that the alleged conventions arise from some social process in which parties agree to adopt the conventions. It should be understood that the “conventions” in question may arise for stipulative definition by one or a small number of individuals. The term “arbitrary” might also be used to stress the freedom of choice available in constructing definitions (particularly of languages or concepts), but it is not thereby intended to suggest that such choices are without consequence, or that there may not be compelling reasons to adopt one convention rather than another.
Synthetic philosophy regards language as entirely conventional, and ontology as a part of the construction of language, particularly of declarative language, and itself conventional.