Combining Texts

Ideas for 'works', 'On the Nature of Mathematical Reasoning' and 'Varieties of Things'

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2 ideas

9. Objects / A. Existence of Objects / 5. Individuation / c. Individuation by location

7961	A 'thing' cannot be in two places at once, and two things cannot be in the same place at once [Macdonald,C]
	Full Idea: The so-called 'laws of thinghood' govern particulars, saying that one thing cannot be wholly present at different places at the same time, and two things cannot occupy the same place at the same time.
	From: Cynthia Macdonald (Varieties of Things [2005], Ch.6)
	A reaction: Is this an empirical observation, or a tautology? Or might it even be a priori synthetic? What happens when two water drops or clouds merge? Or an amoeba fissions? In what sense is an image in two places at once? Se also Idea 2351.

9. Objects / A. Existence of Objects / 5. Individuation / e. Individuation by kind

7926	We 'individuate' kinds of object, and 'identify' particular specimens [Macdonald,C]
	Full Idea: We can usefully refer to 'individuation conditions', to distinguish objects of that kind from objects not of that kind, and to 'identity conditions', to distinguish objects within that kind from one another.
	From: Cynthia Macdonald (Varieties of Things [2005], Ch.2)
	A reaction: So we individuate types or sets, and identify tokens or particulars. Sounds good. Should be in every philosopher's toolkit, and on every introductory philosophy course.