On Tue, July 10, 2012 22:02, Chris Menzel wrote:
> On Tue, Jul 10, 2012 at 5:25 PM, <cassidy@xxxxxxxxx> wrote: (01)
>> Wandering far off topic, ergo changing the topic from 'Truth': (02)
>> A comment on the comment of Doug F.:
>> >> However, one would stretch to come up with what
>> >> "an instance of the planet Venus" would be. (03)
>> This touches on an ontological issue that concerns me for several
>> reasons: possible worlds. (04)
I'm not sure how this relates to the treatment of Venus as a class.
Do you mean the class of all possible planets Venus? (05)
>> Consider the planet Venus in each of the Sci-Fi novels in which the
>> planet is described - it can have different properties,
>> therefore is in fact a different individual. (06)
> That is *far* from clear. Suppose in one story it simply lacks a single
> grain of sand that it actually has. I'm certainly not inclined to say it
> is a different individual. (07)
It depends upon the definition of the individual. Just like Theseus's ship.
Is Venus the same individual today that it was last year? It has different
mass, grains of interstellar dust that it didn't have then, and has lost
hydrogen from its atmosphere. (08)
The Venus in any Sci-Fi novel is far more similar in properties to the Venus
that recently transited the Sun than my current properties are to those
of the Doug Foxvog of 50 years ago. If that is the basis for determining
whether something is a different individual, i and that Doug
Foxvog are certainly two different individuals. (09)
-- doug foxvog (010)
> -chris (011)
> _____________________________________________________________ (012)
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