Combining Texts

All the ideas for 'Changes in Events and Changes in Things', 'Metaphysics: a very short introduction' and 'Socrates: Ironist and Moral Philosopher'

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7 ideas

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.

9. Objects / B. Unity of Objects / 2. Substance / a. Substance

18617	Substances, unlike aggregates, can survive a change of parts [Mumford]
	Full Idea: Substances can survive a change in their parts in a way that a mere aggregate of parts.
	From: Stephen Mumford (Metaphysics: a very short introduction [2012], 3)
	A reaction: A simple but very important idea. If we then distinguish between 'substances' and 'aggregates' we get a much clearer grip on things. Is the Ship of Theseus a substance or an aggregate? There is no factual answer to that. What do you want to explain?

10. Modality / B. Possibility / 3. Combinatorial possibility

18618	Maybe possibilities are recombinations of the existing elements of reality [Mumford]
	Full Idea: It has been suggested that we could think of possibilities as recombinations of all the existing elements of reality.
	From: Stephen Mumford (Metaphysics: a very short introduction [2012], 8)
	A reaction: [Armstrong 1989 is the source] The obvious problem would be that the existence of an entirely different reality would be impossible, if this was all possibility could be. It seems to cramp the style of the possible too much. Are properties elements?

18619	Combinatorial possibility has to allow all elements to be combinable, which seems unlikely [Mumford]
	Full Idea: The combinatorial account only works if you allow that the elements are recombinable. ...But could Lincoln really have been green? It seems possible that you could jump to the moon, unless we impose some restrictions.
	From: Stephen Mumford (Metaphysics: a very short introduction [2012], 8)
	A reaction: Mumford suggests different combination rules for logical and natural possibility. The general objection is that combinatorial possibility is too permissive - which it clearly is.

18620	Combinatorial possibility relies on what actually exists (even over time), but there could be more [Mumford]
	Full Idea: Can combinatorial possibility deliver enough possibilities? It uses the existing elements, but there might have been one more particular or one more property. Even extended over time, the elements seem finite, yet there could have been more.
	From: Stephen Mumford (Metaphysics: a very short introduction [2012], 8)
	A reaction: [compressed] One objection is that the theory allows too much, and now the objection is that it allows too little. Both objections are correct, so that's the end of that. But I admire the attempt to base modality on actuality.

25. Social Practice / D. Justice / 3. Punishment / b. Retribution for crime

1658	In early Greece the word for punishment was also the word for vengeance [Vlastos]
	Full Idea: Down to the last third of the fifth century, 'timoria', whose original and always primary sense is "vengeance", is THE word for "punishment".
	From: Gregory Vlastos (Socrates: Ironist and Moral Philosopher [1991], p.186)

27. Natural Reality / D. Time / 2. Passage of Time / e. Tensed (A) series

22899	'Thank goodness that's over' is not like 'thank goodness that happened on Friday' [Prior,AN]
	Full Idea: One says 'thank goodness that is over', ..and it says something which it is impossible which any use of any tenseless copula with a date should convey. It certainly doesn't mean the same as 'thank goodness that occured on Friday June 15th 1954'.
	From: Arthur N. Prior (Changes in Events and Changes in Things [1968]), quoted by Adrian Bardon - Brief History of the Philosophy of Time 4 'Pervasive'
	A reaction: [Ref uncertain] This seems to be appealing to ordinary usage, in which tenses have huge significance. If we take time (with its past, present and future) as primitive, then tenses can have full weight. Did tenses mean anything at all to Einstein?