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Single Idea 15268

[filed under theme 7. Existence / B. Change in Existence / 4. Events / b. Events as primitive ]

Full Idea

On our view, 'event' is to be understood in terms of the ontology of enduring things, while on the Humean view enduring things are conceived to be constructions of events.

Gist of Idea

Humeans construct their objects from events, but we construct events from objects

Source

Harré,R./Madden,E.H. (Causal Powers [1975], 6.IV)

Book Ref

Harré,R/Madden,E.H.: 'Causal Powers: A Theory of Natural Necessity' [Blackwell 1975], p.109


A Reaction

It has quite hard to take either objects or events, given that they seem to be amenable to analysis. I am tempted to take essences as primitive. They fix identity, endure change, bear accidental properties (including temporary intrinsics).


The 11 ideas with the same theme [treating happenings as basic ingredients of existence]:

In 1927, Russell analysed force and matter in terms of events [Russell, by Grayling]
Varied descriptions of an event will explain varied behaviour relating to it [Davidson, by Macdonald,C]
If we don't assume that events exist, we cannot make sense of our common talk [Davidson]
You can't identify events by causes and effects, as the event needs to be known first [Dummett on Davidson]
Events can only be individuated causally [Davidson, by Schaffer,J]
We need events for action statements, causal statements, explanation, mind-and-body, and adverbs [Davidson, by Bourne]
Humeans construct their objects from events, but we construct events from objects [Harré/Madden]
Events are ontologically indispensable for singular causal explanations [Lowe]
Maybe modern physics requires an event-ontology, rather than a thing-ontology [Lowe]
Relativity has an ontology of things and events, not on space-time diagrams [Simons]
Quantum mechanics describes the world entirely as events [Rovelli]