Summary |
Endurantism is, roughly, the view that an
object which persists through time is wholly present at all those times through
which it persists. That is, for instance, according to the endurantist no part
of me is missing from now just as no part of me was missing during my last
birthday. However, there’s disagreement about how best to further detail
endurantism. Many regard enduring objects as three-dimensional objects, spread
out in space but not in time. Some think enduring objects sweep or move through
time, while others argue that enduring objects must be multi-located at
different times. Then there are those who think endurantists maintain nothing
more than that persisting objects do not have temporal parts. Opponents of
endurantism argue that as we fill in these details about the endurantist
picture we reveal problems. For instance: how can an object be wholly present
now and be hot, yet also be wholly present at a later time and cold—does this
mean it has incompatible properties? How can an object be wholly present at one
time and wholly present at another—if all of it is here, how can any of it be
there? Endurantists, of course, argue that there are tenable replies to these
and other challenges. |