Greg Detre
Wednesday, 31 May, 2000
Neil giving the presentation
metaphysical not epistemological question
the problem of diachronic identity
elephant � circus performer etc. but it�s substance = elephant (all and only elephants will have those characteristics)
phase sortal = a kind of thing can belong to temporarily e.g. athlete and philosopher
what does it take for a circus entertainer to be a circus entertainer at one time � persistence conditions aren�t fixed, nothing which all and only circus entertainers have/are
survive adventures
very popular (Lewis, Nagel, Mackie, Strawson etc.)
utter psychological discontinuity between foetus and adult human
person as phase sortal
why should something cease to exist by gaining ability?
a glass which gains a spout becomes a jug
caterpillar � butterfly
disjunctive substance concept
odd case � separate names for an ordinary process of natural development
what�s happened to the caterpillar
3rd option � foetus hasn�t continued existing but has become
tyre that you hang from a tree is a swing
what about the first fish which flopped onto the land and evolved to breathe (billions of years ago)
zygote gets destroyed + replaced by the foetus
but it never existed as a unified thing
3 senses of is:
is:� constitution
definition
������ identity (informative)
������ analysis
�
person/statue = phase sortal
clay/being = substance concept
language creates a problem where there doesn�t seem to be one