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Single Idea 12955

[from 'New Essays on Human Understanding' by Gottfried Leibniz, in 27. Natural Reality / D. Time / 1. Nature of Time / e. Eventless time ]

Full Idea

If there were a vacuum in space, one could establish its size. But if there were a vacuum in time, i.e. a duration without change, it would be impossible to establish its length.

Gist of Idea

If there were duration without change, we could never establish its length

Source

Gottfried Leibniz (New Essays on Human Understanding [1704], 2.15)

Book Reference

Leibniz,Gottfried: 'New Essays on Human Understanding', ed/tr. Remnant/Bennett [CUP 1996], p.155


A Reaction

See Idea 4226 for Shoemaker's wonderful counterproposal to this apparently unanswerable claim. I suppose Leibniz is right, but it just might be possible to bring induction to bear on the problem.

Related Idea

Idea 4226 If three regions 'freeze' every three, four and five years, after sixty years everything stops for a year [Shoemaker, by Lowe]