This volume investigates the ontological status of the relationship between a whole and its parts, specifically questioning whether composition is a form of identity. The editors, A. J. Cotnoir and Donald L. M. Baxter, curate a collection of original essays from established and emerging scholars to examine the controversial proposition that a whole is identical to its parts. The text provides the necessary formal and philosophical framework to evaluate the claim that a whole is nothing over and above its parts.

Experts recognize this collection as a primary resource for those engaged in contemporary metaphysical discourse regarding mereology. Readers frequently note the high level of technical rigor required to navigate the formal logical arguments presented throughout the essays.