Thomas Sattig's The Double Lives of Objects introduces a new theory of ordinary objects and applies it to some old and new puzzles. The theory, perspectival hylomorphism, has two parts. The metaphysical part is quasi-hylomorphism. It says that ordinary objects are compounds of matter and formlike facts. The semantic part is perspectivalism. It says that we shift our modes of predication in line with different conceptual perspectives on ordinary objects. Combining the parts provides a novel strategy for resolving puzzles about ordinary objects. The result is an original and well-crafted contribution to the metaphysics of objects. I will give an overview of Sattig's book followed by a discussion.
Quasi-hylomorphism (chapter 1) says that an ordinary object is a compound of a material part and a formal part. The material part is a material subject. This is a classical mereological sum of material parts in space and...