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Full Idea
A smiling, being an event, has causes and effects, whereas the smile thereby produced is a continuant, and has itself neither causes nor effects.
Gist of Idea
A smiling is an event with causes, but the smile is a continuant without causes
Source
Peter Simons (Parts [1987], 8.5)
Book Ref
Simons,Peter: 'Parts: a Study in Ontology' [OUP 1987], p.307
A Reaction
This is dogmatic, hopeful and a bit dubious. Simons is very scathing about processes in ontology. There seem to be two descriptions, with distinctive syntax, but it is hard to believe that in reality we have two types of thing present.
12880 | Moments are things like smiles or skids, which are founded on other things [Simons] |
12881 | A smiling is an event with causes, but the smile is a continuant without causes [Simons] |
12882 | A wave is maintained by a process, but it isn't a process [Simons] |
12883 | Moving disturbances are are moments which continuously change their basis [Simons] |