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Single Idea 11165

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

Full Idea

If there is nothing in the nature of Socrates which demands that he exists, then presumably there is nothing in the nature of Socrates which demands that his parents exist.

Gist of Idea

If Socrates lacks necessary existence, then his nature cannot require his parents' existence

Source

Kit Fine (Essence and Modality [1994], p. 6)

Book Ref

-: 'Philosophical Perspectives' [-], p.6

A Reaction

This sounds conclusive to me, against any claim that Socrates necessarily had those parents, if the claim is based on the identity or esssence of Socrates.

The 21 ideas with the same theme [origin of an object is part of what is essential to it]:

11378 How a thing is generated does not explain its essence [Aristotle, by Politis]
12101 Aristotle wants definition, not identity, so origin is not essential to him [Aristotle, by Witt]
12286 If two things are the same, they must have the same source and origin [Aristotle]
11867 If we lose track of origin, how do we show we are maintaining a reference? [Kripke, by Wiggins]
12018 Kripke argues, of the Queen, that parents of an organism are essentially so [Kripke, by Forbes,G]
17046 Could the actual Queen have been born of different parents? [Kripke]
8274 Socrates can't have a necessary origin, because he might have had no 'origin' [Lowe on Kripke]
12135 Interrupted objects have two first moments of existence, which could be two beginnings [Brody]
14070 A particular statue has sortal persistence conditions, so its origin defines it [Gibbard]
19280 I can ask questions which create a context in which origin ceases to be essential [Lewis]
12102 Essential properties of origin are too radically individual for an Aristotelian essence [Witt]
12019 McGinn falsely claims necessity of origin is a special case of the necessity of identity [Forbes,G on McGinn]
12020 An individual might change their sex in a world, but couldn't have differed in sex at origin [Forbes,G]
11165 If Socrates lacks necessary existence, then his nature cannot require his parents' existence [Fine,K]
13101 Necessity-of-origin won't distinguish ex nihilo creations, or things sharing an origin [Cover/O'Leary-Hawthorne]
15696 Peope favor historical paths over outward properties when determining what something is [Gelman]
12872 The zygote is an essential initial part, for a sexually reproduced organism [Simons]
19214 In twinning, one person has the same origin as another person [Merricks]
11894 Origin is not a necessity, it is just 'tenacious'; we keep it fixed in counterfactual discussions [Mackie,P]
19030 Why does origin matter more than development; why are some features of origin more important? [Vetter]
19040 We take origin to be necessary because we see possibilities as branches from actuality [Vetter]