Single Idea 19040

[catalogued under 9. Objects / E. Objects over Time / 12. Origin as Essential]

Full Idea

The plausibility of the necessity of origin is a symptom of our general tendency to think of possibility in terms of the 'branching model' - that unactualised possibilities must branch off from actuality, at some point.

Gist of Idea

We take origin to be necessary because we see possibilities as branches from actuality

Source

Barbara Vetter (Potentiality [2015], 7.9)

Book Reference

Vetter,Barbara: 'Potentiality: from Dispositions to Modality' [OUP 2015], p.291


A Reaction

[she cites P. Mackie 1998] It is hard to see how we could flatly deny some possibilities which had absolutely no connection with actuality, and were probably quite unimaginable for us.