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Single Idea 19022

[filed under theme 10. Modality / B. Possibility / 4. Potentiality ]

Full Idea

Water has no potentiality to break. But water has a potentiality to be frozen and turn into ice, which does have a potentiality to break. So water has a potentiality to acquire a potentiality to break.

Gist of Idea

Water has a potentiality to acquire a potentiality to break (by freezing)

Source

Barbara Vetter (Potentiality [2015], 4.6)

Book Ref

Vetter,Barbara: 'Potentiality: from Dispositions to Modality' [OUP 2015], p.136


A Reaction

Thus potentially has an 'iterated' character to it, and an appropriate modal logic for it will have to allow for those iterations. She suggests a version of System T modal logic.

Related Idea

Idea 19021 I have an 'iterated ability' to learn the violin - that is, the ability to acquire that ability [Vetter]