Combining Texts

Ideas for 'Changes in Events and Changes in Things', 'Mind in a Physical World' and '14: Superstition'

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2 ideas

7. Existence / D. Theories of Reality / 3. Reality

2329	Causal power is a good way of distinguishing the real from the unreal [Kim]
	Full Idea: A plausible criterion for distinguishing what is real from what is not real is the possession of causal power.
	From: Jaegwon Kim (Mind in a Physical World [1998], §4 p.119)

7. Existence / D. Theories of Reality / 8. Facts / b. Types of fact

15201	That Queen Anne is dead is a 'general fact', not a fact about Queen Anne [Prior,AN]
	Full Idea: The fact that Queen Anne has been dead for some years is not, in the strict sense of 'about', a fact about Queen Anne; it is not a fact about anyone or anything - it is a general fact.
	From: Arthur N. Prior (Changes in Events and Changes in Things [1968], p.13), quoted by Robin Le Poidevin - Past, Present and Future of Debate about Tense 1 b
	A reaction: He distinguishes 'general facts' (states of affairs, I think) from 'individual facts', involving some specific object. General facts seem to be what are expressed by negative existential truths, such as 'there is no Loch Ness Monster'. Useful.