Combining Philosophers

Ideas for Douglas Lackey, Robert Hanna and Roderick Chisholm

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6 ideas

7. Existence / B. Change in Existence / 4. Events / a. Nature of events
Events are states of affairs that occur at certain places and times [Chisholm]
     Full Idea: We will restrict events to those states of affairs which occur at certain places and times.
     From: Roderick Chisholm (Person and Object [1976], 4.6)
     A reaction: If I say 'the bomb may explode sometime', that doesn't seem to refer to an event. Philosophers like Chisholm bowl along, defining left, right and centre, and never seem to step back from their system and ask obvious critical questions.
7. Existence / C. Structure of Existence / 5. Supervenience / b. Types of supervenience
Supervenience can add covariation, upward dependence, and nomological connection [Hanna]
     Full Idea: 'Strong supervenience' involves necessary covariation of the properties, and upward dependence of higher level on lower level. ...If we add a nomological connection between the two, then we have 'superdupervenience'.
     From: Robert Hanna (Rationality and Logic [2006], 1.2)
     A reaction: [compressed] Very helpful. A superdupervenient relationship between mind and brain would be rather baffling if they were not essentially the same thing. (which is what I take them to be).
7. Existence / D. Theories of Reality / 9. States of Affairs
The mark of a state of affairs is that it is capable of being accepted [Chisholm]
     Full Idea: We will say that the mark of a state of affairs is the fact that it is capable of being accepted.
     From: Roderick Chisholm (Person and Object [1976], 4.2)
     A reaction: I find this a quite bewildering proposal. It means that it is impossible for there to be a state of affairs which is beyond human conception, but why commit to that?
A state of affairs pertains to a thing if it implies that it has some property [Chisholm]
     Full Idea: A state of affairs pertains to a thing if it implies the thing to have a certain property.
     From: Roderick Chisholm (Person and Object [1976], 1.4)
     A reaction: For this to work, we must include extrinsic and relational properties, and properties which are derived from mere predication. I think this is bad metaphysics, and leads to endless confusions.
I propose that events and propositions are two types of states of affairs [Chisholm]
     Full Idea: I will propose that events are said to constitute one type of states of affairs, and propositions another
     From: Roderick Chisholm (Person and Object [1976], 4.1)
     A reaction: I would much prefer to distinguish between the static and the dynamic, so we have a static or timeless state of affairs, and a dynamic event or process. Propositions I take to be neither. He really means 'facts', which subsume the whole lot.
7. Existence / E. Categories / 3. Proposed Categories
Chisholm divides things into contingent and necessary, and then individuals, states and non-states [Chisholm, by Westerhoff]
     Full Idea: Chisholm's Ontological Categories: ENTIA - {Contingent - [Individual - (Boundaries)(Substances)] [States - (Events)]} {Necessary - [States] [Non-States - (Attributes)(Substance)]}
     From: report of Roderick Chisholm (A Realistic Theory of Categories [1996], p.3) by Jan Westerhoff - Ontological Categories §01
     A reaction: [I am attempting a textual representation of a tree diagram! The bracket-styles indicate the levels.]