Single Idea 14021

[catalogued under 9. Objects / E. Objects over Time / 4. Four-Dimensionalism]

Full Idea

Worm-theoretic Perdurantism says spatio-temporal continuants are mereological fusions of instantaneous temporal parts or stages located at different times; Stage-theoretic Perdurantism says they are instantaneous temporal stages of continuants.

Gist of Idea

Worm Perdurantism has a fusion of all the parts; Stage Perdurantism has one part at a time

Source

Thomas M. Crisp (Presentism [2003], 2.1)

Book Reference

'The Oxford Handbook of Metaphysics', ed/tr. Loux,M /Zimmerman,D [OUP 2005], p.216


A Reaction

[Armstrong, Lewis and Quine defend the first; Sider the second] The Stage view seems to be the common sense view. Sider suggests that the earlier stages are counterparts, not the thing as it currently is.