Ideas of Nicholas Rescher, by Theme

[American, b.1928, Professor at the University of Pittsburgh.]

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5. Theory of Logic / D. Assumptions for Logic / 1. Bivalence
24397 Truth is indeterminate in processes like coming to be and passing away
7. Existence / B. Change in Existence / 2. Processes
22626 Process philosophy insists that processes are not inferior in being to substances
24385 Process philosophy is either phenomenological or biological or physical
24387 Prefer activity to substance, process to product, change to persistence, novelty to continuity
24388 A process is a coordinated group of changes, linked causally or functionally
24389 Aristotelians say all processes are 'owned', and are thus subordinate to things
24390 The orthodox view sees processes as the manifestations of stable dispositions of things
24391 Processes without entities are possible, but there can't be entities without processes
24395 Processes instantiate and transmit patterns, though these are not predictable
9. Objects / A. Existence of Objects / 1. Physical Objects
24394 Maybe physical objects are stability-waves in a sea of processes
24386 Processes and events like storms are just as real as things like dogs
9. Objects / B. Unity of Objects / 2. Substance / e. Substance critique
24393 The world contains many 'things' which are not substances
9. Objects / C. Structure of Objects / 8. Parts of Objects / a. Parts of objects
10650 In the military, persons are parts of parts of large units, but not parts of those large units
11. Knowledge Aims / A. Knowledge / 6. Knowing How
24398 A key form of knowing-how is knowing how to obtain and apply knowing-that
12. Knowledge Sources / B. Perception / 2. Qualities in Perception / b. Primary/secondary
24392 Primary properties describe what it is; secondary properties underlie the impact and responses
22. Metaethics / B. Value / 1. Nature of Value / f. Ultimate value
24396 What has value for humans is quite separate from any ideas of endurance and permanency
27. Natural Reality / A. Classical Physics / 1. Mechanics / a. Explaining movement
20365 We only see points in motion, and thereby infer movement