Chris Partridge wrote:
> vQ,
>
>> I think the question of whether an avalanche is a continuant or an
>> occurrent is ill-posed,
>
> I think there is some circularity here.
>
> I am assuming (a thought experiment) where one is present at something that
> people tend to call avalanches, and asking what exists.
>
> If one accepts the continuant/occurrent distinction then one could
> reasonably ask (as I did Barry) whether he thought a continuant or an
> occurrent or both existed.
>
> I am not presupposing, as you seem to suggest, a notion of what an avalanche
> is. That is something for you and/or Barry to supply. (01)
I did not suggest what you were presupposing. I see there was a typo:
"One you accept" should be replaced by "Once you accept". I am making a
thought experiment as well -- *suppose* there are continuants and
occurents as entities of two jepd categories. I do not say there are. (02)
>
> I am happy if you want to take both your definitions below (call them
> avalanche#1 and avalanche#2 if you wish). This means that for you, these two
> things exist. (03)
I recall definitions found in publicly available dictionaries. What I
say is: once you accept the distinction between continuants and
occurents, some of these definitions of avalanche speak of continuants,
some of occurrents. So the question 'is an avalanche an occurrent or a
continuant' is ill-posed, since one does not know what you are asking
about -- the mass of snow or its falling. Once you do *not* accept the
distinction, the question is even more ill-posed. (04)
> I am suspicious of your discussion of meanings – which are about the
> relation of terms to the world – it is rather that exists in the world that
> I am interested in. (05)
Of course. So let's go out there, you'll point at what you want to ask
about and we may discuss. But once you ask a question using terms which
are not unambiguous, answers you get to your questions on what there
exists depend on how thee terms are understood. (06)
vQ (07)
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