Single Idea 13998

[catalogued under 27. Natural Reality / D. Time / 2. Passage of Time / k. Temporal truths]

Full Idea

Maybe putative non-present objects like Socrates have more in common with putative non-actual objects like Santa Claus than they have in common with objects located elsewhere in space, like Alpha Centauri.

Gist of Idea

Objects in the past, like Socrates, are more like imaginary objects than like remote spatial objects

Source

Ned Markosian (A Defense of Presentism [2004], 3.7)

Book Reference

'Persistence: contemporary readings', ed/tr. Haslanger,S/|Kurtz,RM [MIT 2006], p.317


A Reaction

We can see Alpha Centauri, so we need an example beyond some 'event horizon'. He credits Arthur Prior with this line of thought. He seems to me to drift towards a Descriptive Theory of Reference (shock!). Does the nature of reference change with death?