Single Idea 12888

[catalogued under 9. Objects / C. Structure of Objects / 8. Parts of Objects / c. Wholes from parts]

Full Idea

The example of a melody shows that what counts as a temporal individual is partly a matter of human stipulation. But with a natural event like an explosion there is little or no room for decision about what is a part, and whether it is a single event.

Gist of Idea

The wholeness of a melody seems conventional, but of an explosion it seems natural

Source

Peter Simons (Parts [1987], 9.6)

Book Reference

Simons,Peter: 'Parts: a Study in Ontology' [OUP 1987], p.350


A Reaction

You could have a go at giving a natural account of the wholeness of a melody, in terms of the little aesthetic explosion that occurs in the brain of a listener.