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HowDoThings Persist? Location Relations in Physics and the Metaphysics of Persistence
Dialectica Pub Date : 2016-09-01 , DOI: 10.1111/1746-8361.12150
Thomas Pashby 1
Affiliation  

This paper investigates the use of theories of mechanics (classical and quantum) to provide answers to questions in the metaphysics of spatial location and persistence. Investigating spatial location, I find that in classical physics bodies pertend the region of space at which they are exactly located, while a quantum system spans a region at which it is exactly located. Following this analysis, I present a ‘no-go’ result which shows that quantum mechanics (conventionally interpreted) restricts the available options for locational persistence theories in an interesting way: it demonstrates that the spatiotemporal path of a persisting thing is discrete (or discontinuous) in time. This leads to unpalatable consequences for both perdurantists and endurantists. In particular, I argue that Butterfield’s ‘anti-pointilliste’ perdurantism is ruled out, and show that endurantists relying on immanent causation run into trouble. I conclude by suggesting the revival of Whitehead’s alternative mode of persistence called ‘reiteration.’

中文翻译:

事情如何持续?物理学中的位置关系和持久性的形而上学

本文研究了使用力学理论(经典和量子)来为空间位置和持久性的形而上学问题提供答案。在研究空间位置时,我发现在经典物理学中,物体与它们准确位于的空间区域有关,而量子系统则跨越它恰好位于的区域。在此分析之后,我提出了一个“禁止”结果,该结果表明量子力学(按惯例解释)以一种有趣的方式限制了位置持久性理论的可用选项:它表明持久性事物的时空路径是离散的(或不连续的) ) 及时。这导致持久主义者和耐力主义者都感到不愉快的后果。特别是,我认为巴特菲尔德的“反点画派”持久主义被排除在外,并表明依赖内在因果关系的耐力主义者遇到了麻烦。最后,我建议怀特黑德的另一种持久性模式(称为“重复”)的复兴。
更新日期:2016-09-01
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