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Single Idea 8974

[filed under theme 7. Existence / B. Change in Existence / 4. Events / c. Reduction of events ]

Full Idea

Kim's events are exemplifications by an object of an attribute at a time...It does not make events basic entities, as the three constituents are more basic, but it gives identity conditions (two events are the same if object, attribute and time the same).

Gist of Idea

Events are composed of an object with an attribute at a time

Source

report of Jaegwon Kim (Events as property exemplifications [1976]) by Peter Simons - Events 2.1

Book Ref

'The Oxford Handbook of Metaphysics', ed/tr. Loux,M /Zimmerman,D [OUP 2005], p.365


A Reaction

[Aristotle is said to be behind this] I am more sympathetic to this view than the claim that events are primitive. If a pebble is ellipsoid for a million years, is that an event? I think the concept of a 'process' is the most fruitful one to investigate.


The 6 ideas from 'Events as property exemplifications'

How fine-grained Kim's events are depends on how finely properties are individuated [Kim, by Schaffer,J]
Events are composed of an object with an attribute at a time [Kim, by Simons]
Events cannot be merely ordered triples, but must specify the link between the elements [Kim, by Simons]
If events are ordered triples of items, such things seem to be sets, and hence abstract [Simons on Kim]
Since properties like self-identity and being 2+2=4 are timeless, Kim must restrict his properties [Simons on Kim]
Kim's theory results in too many events [Simons on Kim]