Philosophy Dictionary of ArgumentsHome
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| Existence, philosophy, logic: the fact that there is something to which properties can be attributed. That does not mean that something has to be given immediately or can be perceived by the senses. See also ontology, properties, predicates, existence statements, realism, quantification, ascription._____________Annotation: The above characterizations of concepts are neither definitions nor exhausting presentations of problems related to them. Instead, they are intended to give a short introduction to the contributions below. – Lexicon of Arguments. | |||
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P. Simons on Existence - Dictionary of Arguments
I 197 Interrupted Existence/Simons: e.g. a clock before and after disassembly can be called an interrupted existence. Problem: if parts are lost and are replaced by others, the question whether it continues to exist as the same depends on the course of development. This seems wrong. SimeonsVs"continuity theory": e.g. that the table of the same building blocks could be the same for the second time > Ship of Theseus. I 199ff Ship of Theseus/Simons: a) "collector": material continuity, b) "practitioner": functional continuity. Wrong: it is wrong to assume relativized identity (also for collector/practitioner). Then there is the question why there is a problem. Solution/Simons: the sortal term always compromises between a) the identity of the matter, "matter-constant" and b) the form, "form-constant". Form: a) for organisms: life-enabling structure, b) is for artifacts: function-enabling and c) e.g. islands: characteristic shape and relation to the neighborhood. Form Term/Simons: its heterogeneity ensures its usefulness. Collectors and practitioners are satisfied because both wanted from the beginning, something different. N.B.: there are two ships from the beginning (form-constant, matter-constant), and both coincide. The shipbuilder builds only one ship > coincidence - see Identity/Simons. I 259f Existence/modality/necessity/Simons: thesis: not everything that exists, exists necessarily. Hughes/Cresswell: but if it exists, it exists necessarily. ((s) That boils down to the same thing with Simons). I 261 Samson's thesis: existence is essential but not necessary._____________Explanation of symbols: Roman numerals indicate the source, arabic numerals indicate the page number. The corresponding books are indicated on the right hand side. ((s)…): Comment by the sender of the contribution. Translations: Dictionary of Arguments The note [Concept/Author], [Author1]Vs[Author2] or [Author]Vs[term] resp. "problem:"/"solution:", "old:"/"new:" and "thesis:" is an addition from the Dictionary of Arguments. If a German edition is specified, the page numbers refer to this edition. |
Simons I P. Simons Parts. A Study in Ontology Oxford New York 1987 |
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Ed. Martin Schulz, access date 2024-04-19