The Pros And Cons Of Perdurantism

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Perdurantism is a solution to the problem of change which suggest that objects are four dimensional. Lewis would suggest that the objects have both temporal and spatial parts. While the spatial parts remain, the temporal parts can change. In other words, objects persist through time and change by having temporal parts. In an effort to understand why perdurantism exists, I will describe the circumstances leading to its creation, which will include a description of the elements of change and the problem of change. Then, I will provide a description of an objection to perdurantism. The aim of this paper is to strengthen objections against perdurantism as a viable solution to the problem persistence through time and change
Hinchliff suggests that there are four elements involved in change. The four elements are persistence, intrinsic properties, possession, and incompatibility. First, persistence refers to the idea that when an object goes changes, it exists throughout the change. That is to say, it does not come in and out of existence while it changes. Second, intrinsic properties suggests that properties that change in an object are features that do not depend on anything else. For example, the change in the relative distance between objects are not an example of a change in the object. Third, possession is such that the object itself has intrinsic features that change. To put this another way, it is an aspect of the object as a whole that changes and not just the parts. Finally, the element is that changed objects are incompatible. In other words, the change must conclude in some kind of difference. If there is no difference, then there cannot be a change. With the four elements of change in mind, Hinchliff describes an issue with change. Suppose that there is a candle. In one point in time the candle is straight, in a later point in time the candle is bent. If the four elements of change are preserved, then it is the case that because the candle persists, the candle is both straight and bent. The candle cannot be both straight and not straight, therefore there is a contradiction. The intuitive answer to this discrepancy is to say that the candle is straight at one time, then it changes and is bent at another time; however, accepting this notion would lead us to give up the idea that shape is an intrinsic property. In other words, shape can depend on time. Lewis rejects this notion. Lewis states that we should maintain that certain properties are intrinsic to the object. Perdurantism is a theory that states objects persist over time by maintaining a spatial part, while a temporal part is created and destroyed. Temporal parts are actual parts of an object that exist moment to moment. For example, at the moment of the candle, there is a temporal part that provides the straightness property of the candle. Likewise, a different temporal part at a later time has a bentness property that allows the candle to appear to be bent. It is not the object itself that is either straight or bent. Instead, the temporal parts are what have shape; the object itself does not have shape.
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In other words, objects are the collection of all spatial and temporal parts. Parts can make up and influence the whole. Issues about perdurantism can be traced to general issues with four-dimensional theories. On one hand, temporal parts cause an issue in so far that they come in and out of existence. Koslicki provides an example of a space-time worms in order to illustrate an issue with Sider’s view of fusions. For example, imagine the life of a goldfish. In the beginning of its life, the goldfish exists, and is the first temporal part, then a moment later another temporal part takes its place. The first temporal part is then destroyed. This array of events will continue for as long as the goldfish persists. The goldfish persists even though there are temporal parts that are destroyed. There is no specific reason why the temporal part is destroyed and there is no explanation as to what the role of the spatial part of the object is. The temporal parts according to perdurantism cannot remain when there is change. There cannot be two temporal parts at one instance of an

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