Single Idea 4078

[catalogued under 7. Existence / C. Structure of Existence / 5. Supervenience / c. Significance of supervenience]

Full Idea

A statue is constituted by the marble that makes it up. It is plausible to say that constitution is not the same as identity - since identity is symmetrical and identity is not - but nonetheless constitution is a supervenience relation.

Gist of Idea

Constitution (as in a statue constituted by its marble) is supervenience without identity

Source

Tim Crane (Elements of Mind [2001], 2.16)

Book Reference

Crane,Tim: 'Elements of Mind' [OUP 2001], p.58


A Reaction

So what makes it a statue, as opposed to a piece of marble? It may well be an abstraction which only exists relative to observers.