Several authors have argued that socially significant places such as countries, cities and establishments are immaterial objects, despite their being spatially located. In contrast, we aim to defend a reductive materialist view of such entities, which identifies them with their physical territories or premises. Accordingly, these are all material objects; typically, aggregates of land and infrastructure. Admittedly, our terms for these entities may also sometimes be used to denote their associated groups of people. But as long as countries, cities and establishments are understood as places, we submit, they are all material objects: the physical territories or premises of their associated groups.

中文翻译：

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人物和地点

一些作者认为，具有社会重要意义的地方，如国家、城市和机构，尽管它们在空间上处于位置，但它们是非物质的物体。相比之下，我们的目标是捍卫对这些实体的还原唯物主义观点，该观点将它们与它们的物理领土或前提等同起来。因此，这些都是物质对象；通常是土地和基础设施的总和。诚然，我们对这些实体的术语有时也可以用来表示与其相关的人群。但我们认为，只要国家、城市和机构被理解为地点，它们都是物质对象：其相关群体的物理领土或场所。