Ideas of Roderick Chisholm, by Theme

[American, 1916 - 1999, Taught at Brown University, Long Island.]

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1. Philosophy / E. Nature of Metaphysics / 6. Metaphysics as Conceptual

15801

Many philosophers aim to understand metaphysics by studying ourselves

1. Philosophy / F. Analytic Philosophy / 6. Logical Analysis

15802

I use variables to show that each item remains the same entity throughout

7. Existence / B. Change in Existence / 4. Events / a. Nature of events

15832

Events are states of affairs that occur at certain places and times

7. Existence / D. Theories of Reality / 9. States of Affairs

15828

I propose that events and propositions are two types of states of affairs

15809

A state of affairs pertains to a thing if it implies that it has some property

15829

The mark of a state of affairs is that it is capable of being accepted

7. Existence / E. Categories / 3. Proposed Categories

13120

Chisholm divides things into contingent and necessary, and then individuals, states and non-states [Westerhoff]

8. Modes of Existence / B. Properties / 1. Nature of Properties

15830

Some properties can never be had, like being a round square

15827

Some properties, such as 'being a widow', can be seen as 'rooted outside the time they are had'

8. Modes of Existence / B. Properties / 10. Properties as Predicates

15804

If some dogs are brown, that entails the properties of 'being brown' and 'being canine'

9. Objects / A. Existence of Objects / 5. Individuation / a. Individuation

15810

Maybe we can only individuate things by relating them to ourselves

9. Objects / A. Existence of Objects / 5. Individuation / d. Individuation by haecceity

15805

Being the tallest man is an 'individual concept', but not a haecceity

15807

A haecceity is a property had necessarily, and strictly confined to one entity

9. Objects / C. Structure of Objects / 7. Substratum

15814

A peach is sweet and fuzzy, but it doesn't 'have' those qualities

9. Objects / C. Structure of Objects / 8. Parts of Objects / b. Sums of parts

12852

If x is ever part of y, then y is necessarily such that x is part of y at any time that y exists [Simons]

9. Objects / D. Essence of Objects / 3. Individual Essences

15808

A traditional individual essence includes all of a thing's necessary characteristics

9. Objects / D. Essence of Objects / 14. Knowledge of Essences

11966

If there are essential properties, how do you find out what they are?

9. Objects / E. Objects over Time / 7. Intermittent Objects

12851

Intermittence is seen in a toy fort, which is dismantled then rebuilt with the same bricks [Simons]

9. Objects / F. Identity among Objects / 5. Self-Identity

15806

The property of being identical with me is an individual concept

9. Objects / F. Identity among Objects / 9. Sameness

15826

There is 'loose' identity between things if their properties, or truths about them, might differ

10. Modality / E. Possible worlds / 3. Transworld Objects / a. Transworld identity

11965

Could possible Adam gradually transform into Noah, and vice versa?

11. Knowledge Aims / A. Knowledge / 5. Aiming at Truth

19569

We have a basic epistemic duty to believe truth and avoid error [Kvanvig]

12. Knowledge Sources / B. Perception / 4. Sense Data / d. Sense-data problems

15819

Do sense-data have structure, location, weight, and constituting matter?

12. Knowledge Sources / B. Perception / 8. Adverbial Theory

15816

'I feel depressed' is more like 'he runs slowly' than like 'he has a red book'

15817

If we can say a man senses 'redly', why not also 'rectangularly'?

15818

So called 'sense-data' are best seen as 'modifications' of the person experiencing them

13. Knowledge Criteria / B. Internal Justification / 4. Foundationalism / a. Foundationalism

8790	The 'doctrine of the given' is correct; some beliefs or statements are self-justifying

14. Science / D. Explanation / 1. Explanation / a. Explanation

15831

Explanations have states of affairs as their objects

16. Persons / B. Nature of the Self / 3. Self as Non-physical

15811

I am picked out uniquely by my individual essence, which is 'being identical with myself'

16. Persons / C. Self-Awareness / 3. Limits of Introspection

15815

Sartre says the ego is 'opaque'; I prefer to say that it is 'transparent'

16. Persons / D. Continuity of the Self / 3. Reference of 'I'

15813

People use 'I' to refer to themselves, with the meaning of their own individual essence

16. Persons / E. Rejecting the Self / 1. Self as Indeterminate

15803

Bad theories of the self see it as abstract, or as a bundle, or as a process

16. Persons / F. Free Will / 4. For Free Will

3444	If actions are not caused by other events, and are not causeless, they must be caused by the person

16. Persons / F. Free Will / 5. Against Free Will

3446	For Hobbes (but not for Kant) a person's actions can be deduced from their desires and beliefs

9268	If free will miraculously interrupts causation, animals might do that; why would we want to do it? [Frankfurt]

15821

Determinism claims that every event has a sufficient causal pre-condition

20. Action / A. Definition of Action / 1. Action Theory

20062

If a desire leads to a satisfactory result by an odd route, the causal theory looks wrong

20. Action / B. Preliminaries of Action / 2. Willed Action / c. Agent causation

20054

There has to be a brain event which is not caused by another event, but by the agent

20. Action / C. Motives for Action / 4. Responsibility for Actions

3443	Desires may rule us, but are we responsible for our desires?

3442	Responsibility seems to conflict with events being either caused or not caused

20. Action / C. Motives for Action / 5. Action Dilemmas / c. Omissions

15824

There are mere omissions (through ignorance, perhaps), and people can 'commit an omission'

26. Natural Theory / A. Speculations on Nature / 1. Nature

15822

The concept of physical necessity is basic to both causation, and to the concept of nature

26. Natural Theory / C. Causation / 2. Types of cause

15823

Some propose a distinct 'agent causation', as well as 'event causation'

26. Natural Theory / C. Causation / 8. Particular Causation / b. Causal relata

3445	Causation among objects relates either events or states

26. Natural Theory / D. Laws of Nature / 7. Strictness of Laws

15820

A 'law of nature' is just something which is physically necessary