In Defence of a Relational Ontology of Affordances

My commentary takes up the two issues Heras-Escribano focusses on in the precis of his book: the ontology and normativity of affordances. The dispositional account of affordances Heras-Escribano endorses is standardly taken to be in opposition to a relational ontology. I first set out to identify what is at issue in this debate. Second, I evaluate the considerations Heras-Escribano takes to favour a dispositional theory of affordances. I argue they are not decisive. Finally, I turn to the issue of the normativity of affordances. I argue against Heras-Escribano's ontological separation of the normative from the nomological.