
Four-Dimensionalism defends the thesis that the material world is composed of temporal as well as spatial parts. This defense includes a novel account of persistence over time, new arguments in favour of the four-dimensional ontology, and responses to the challenges four-dimensionalism faces. Theodore Sider pays particular attention to the philosophy of time, including a strong series of arguments against presentism, the thesis that only the present is real. Arguments offered in favour of four-dimensionalism include novel arguments based on time travel, the debate beween spacetime substantivalists and relationalists, and vagueness. Also included is a comprehensive discussion of the paradoxes of coinciding material objects, and a novel resolution of those paradoxes based on temporal counterpart theory. In conclusion Sider replies to prominent objections to four-dimensionalism, including discussion of the problem of the rotating homogenous disk. Four Dimensionalism is an original and highly readable study of the metaphysics of time and identity.
This book investigates the ontological structure of persistence over time, arguing that objects possess temporal parts in addition to spatial ones. Theodore Sider, a prominent philosopher of metaphysics, utilizes formal logic and analytical argumentation to defend a four-dimensionalist framework. He systematically addresses the nature of identity, the reality of the past and future, and the mechanics of material objects existing across temporal dimensions.
What You Will Find
Scope Limits
Experts recognize this work as a significant contribution to contemporary analytic metaphysics and a standard reference for the study of temporal parts. Readers frequently note the technical rigor of the prose, which assumes a foundational understanding of formal logic and metaphysical terminology.
Page Count:
288
Publication Date:
2002-01-01
Publisher:
Clarendon Press
ISBN-10:
0191529583
ISBN-13:
9780191529580
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