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6143 | Prolonged events don't seem to endure or exist at any particular time [Merricks] |
Full Idea: That events endure is difficult to reconcile with the claim that, say, the American Civil War existed; for such an event seems never to have been 'wholly present' at any single time. | |
From: Trenton Merricks (Objects and Persons [2003], §3 n14) | |
A reaction: A nice problem example for those who, like Kim, want their ontology to include events. Personally I am happy to allow some vagueness here. The Civil War only became an 'event' on the day it finished. An event's time need not be an instant. |