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Full Idea
Persistence offers intelligibility: the possibility of understanding a change, and of understanding the products of it.
Gist of Idea
Persistence makes change and its products intelligible
Source
Sally Haslanger (Persistence, Change and Explanation [1989], 8)
Book Ref
'Persistence: contemporary readings', ed/tr. Haslanger,S/|Kurtz,RM [MIT 2006], p.178
A Reaction
I think this is exactly right, and it is a powerful idea with wide implications for metaphysics. Haslanger claims that an understanding of 'substance' is needed, which leads towards my defence of essentialism.
Related Idea
Idea 13927 We must explain change amongst 'momentary entities', or else the world is inexplicable [Haslanger]
| 13925 | Ontology disputes rest on more basic explanation disputes [Haslanger] |
| 13924 | The persistence of objects seems to be needed if the past is to explain the present [Haslanger] |
| 13931 | By using aporiai as his start, Aristotle can defer to the wise, as well as to the many [Haslanger] |
| 13926 | Best explanations, especially natural ones, need grounding, notably by persistent objects [Haslanger] |
| 13927 | We must explain change amongst 'momentary entities', or else the world is inexplicable [Haslanger] |
| 13928 | If the things which exist prior to now are totally distinct, they need not have existed [Haslanger] |
| 13929 | Natural explanations give the causal interconnections [Haslanger] |
| 13930 | Persistence makes change and its products intelligible [Haslanger] |