On the Possibility of Submergence

It is widely agreed that emergence is metaphysically possible. What about the converse, that is, submergence? Is it metaphysically possible as well? This is a substantive question that has been either utterly neglected (an exception is Bohn 2012) or quickly answered in the negative (Schaffer 2010). This neglect is not only significant in itself; the (im)possibility of submergence plays a crucial role in hotly debated topics in metaphysics, for example, the debate over Monism and Pluralism. This article is intended to prompt a discussion about metaphysical submergence. In particular I will (i) provide examples of submergent properties, (ii) argue that these are metaphysically possible and finally (iii) propose a pluralist argument from submergence.