The disappearance of change: towards a process account of persistence
The disappearance of change: towards a process account of persistence
This paper aims to motivate a new beginning in metaphysical thinking about persistence by drawing attention to the disappearance of change in current accounts of persistence. I defend the claim that the debate is stuck in a dilemma which results from neglecting the constructive role of change for persistence. Neither of the two main competing views, perdurantism and endurantism, captures the idea of persistence as an identity through time. I identify the fundamental ontological reasons for this, namely the shared commitment to what I call ‘thing ontology’: an ontology that gives the ontological priority to static things. I conclude by briefly indicating how switching to a process ontological framework that takes process and change to be ontologically primary may allow for overcoming the dilemma of persistence.
Meincke, Anne Sophie
f1270441-464f-4860-b52e-8dc9ef661ab9
Meincke, Anne Sophie
f1270441-464f-4860-b52e-8dc9ef661ab9
Meincke, Anne Sophie
(2018)
The disappearance of change: towards a process account of persistence.
International Journal of Philosophical Studies.
(doi:10.1080/09672559.2018.1548634).
Abstract
This paper aims to motivate a new beginning in metaphysical thinking about persistence by drawing attention to the disappearance of change in current accounts of persistence. I defend the claim that the debate is stuck in a dilemma which results from neglecting the constructive role of change for persistence. Neither of the two main competing views, perdurantism and endurantism, captures the idea of persistence as an identity through time. I identify the fundamental ontological reasons for this, namely the shared commitment to what I call ‘thing ontology’: an ontology that gives the ontological priority to static things. I conclude by briefly indicating how switching to a process ontological framework that takes process and change to be ontologically primary may allow for overcoming the dilemma of persistence.
Text
MEINCKE_The Disappearance of Change (IJPS)
- Accepted Manuscript
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Accepted/In Press date: 5 November 2018
e-pub ahead of print date: 5 December 2018
Identifiers
Local EPrints ID: 426175
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/426175
ISSN: 0967-2559
PURE UUID: 0b6c68eb-098b-425d-8a0e-ae0df676b218
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Date deposited: 16 Nov 2018 17:30
Last modified: 16 Mar 2024 07:17
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Author:
Anne Sophie Meincke
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