Functions: Consensus without unity

Wright's article did not answer all the questions philosophers have asked about functions, but it did answer some of them, and it showed the way forward to answering more. Much of the literature since 1973 has, in effect, engaged in the refinement of Wright's original idea. Many writers do not think of themselves as doing this; indeed, several have actively resisted this interpretation. Nonetheless, since 1973 there has been a convergence towards a view of functions which has Wright's idea at its core. I think of this trend as an example of real progress in philosophy.