Rescatando los casos Mele/Robb

2018

Rescuing Mele/Robb Cases Resumen: Mi intencion en este trabajo es exponer algunas dudas sobre las consideraciones que Carlos Moya (2017) esgrime en contra de un tipo particular de “Caso Frankfurt”: el “caso de bloqueo” descrito por Mele y Robb (1998). En primer lugar, argumento que el caso de Mele/Robb es un contraejemplo exitoso al Principio de Posibilidades Alternativas aun si, en contra de lo que sus proponentes sugieren, la accion relevante esta causada de manera determinista. Por otro lado, argumento que el agente en el caso Mele/Robb ejercita un tipo relevante de control racional sobre su accion. Palabras clave: Frankfurt, Moya, sobredeterminacion, sensibilidad a razones. Abstract: My…

Does Free Will Require Alternative Possibilities?

2017

Abstract In this introductory study I discuss the notion of alternative possibilities and its relation to contemporary debates on free will and moral responsibility. I focus on two issues: whether Frankfurt-style cases refute the principle of alternative possibilities, and whether alternative possibilities are relevant to grounding free will and moral responsibility. With respect to the first issue, I consider three objections to Frankfurt-syle cases: the flicker strategy, the dilemma defense, and the objection from new dispositionalism. With respect to the second issue, I consider the debate between Alternative Possibilities views and Actual Sequence views, as framed by Carolina Sartorio i…

How coincidence Bears on Persistence

2011

The ‘paradoxes of coincidence’ are generally taken as an important factor for deciding between rival views on persistence through time. In particular, the ability to deal with apparent cases of temporary coincidence is usually regarded as a good reason for favouring perdurantism (or ‘four-dimensionalism’) over endurantism (or ‘three-dimensionalism’). However, the recent work of Gilmore (2007) and McGrath (2007) challenges this standard view. For different reasons, both Gilmore and McGrath conclude that perdurantism does not really obtain support from the puzzles of temporary coincidence. In this paper, I will evaluate their arguments and defend the opposite view: that the paradoxes of coinc…

Stage Theory and Proper Names

2011

In the contemporary debate about the nature of persistence, stage theory is the view that ordinary objects (artefacts, animals, persons, etc.) are instantaneous and"persist" by being suitably related to other instantaneous objects (see T. Sider 1996, 2001 and K. Hawley 2001, both defenders of the view). In this paper I focus on the issue of what stage theorists should say about the semantics of ordinary proper names, like"Socrates" or"London". This is how I will proceed: after discussing the general features of stage theory (section 1), I will consider the remarks that stage theorists actually make about the semantics of proper names (section 2). I will then point to some hitherto unnoticed…

Truthmaker Theory without Truthmakers

2013

Truthmaking without truthmakers (TWT, for short) is the thesis that although every true proposition is made true by reality, there need not be particular entities (like facts, states of affairs, or tropes) that make these propositions true. The first substantial part of this paper (section 2) is devoted to developing a particular version of TWT and at the same time defending TWT in general from arguments against it that have been advanced by orthodox truthmaker theorists. In the second part of the paper (section 3) I argue that talk about truthmakers within the theory can be understood as metaphoric and as conveying valuable information about something other than the supposed truthmakers: a…

Truth and Ontology

2010

There is no puzzle about change

2009

This paper argues against the common practice of presenting perdurantism, endurantism, and other views about persistence and time as solutions to an alleged puzzle about change. Different recent attempts to generate a puzzle about change are examined and found unsuccessful. This does not mean, however, that the relevant views about persistence and time are not well motivated, but rather that their interest and purpose is independent of their suitability for solving the alleged puzzle.

La relació entre les paradoxes de coincidència i les teories sobre la persistència a través del temps

2012

Les "paradoxes de la coincidència" es consideren generalment com una bona raó per afavorir el perdurantisme a l'endurantisme. No obstant això, per diferents raons, tant C. Gilmore com M. McGrath argumenten en contra d'aquesta opinió generalitzada. En aquest article, avaluo els seus arguments i defenso la tesi contrària: que les paradoxes de la coincidència sí que donen algun tipus de suport al perdurantisme. Tanmateix, la manera com ho fan és més aviat inesperada. El meu objectiu immediat és el de presentar un nou argument per al perdurantisme a partir dels casos de coincidència. Més en general, però, espero contribuir també a la nostra comprensió de com els temes de la coincidència i de la…

Una teoria de la verifacció sense verifactors

2014

La tesi que pot haver-hi verifacció sense verifactors (VSV, per abreujar) és familiar. És la tesi, presentada per diversos crítics de la teoria dels verifactors, que malgrat que tota proposició vertadera és feta veritat per la realitat, no cal que hi hagi entitats particulars (com ara fets, estats de coses o trops) que la facin veritat. La primera part substancial d'aquest treball (secció 2) està dedicada a desenvolupar una versió particular de VSV i al mateix temps defensar la VSV en general dels arguments en contra que han estat presentats pels partidaris de la teoria dels verifactors. Però la meva defensa de VSV serà concessiva i conciliadora: concediré una bona part de les premisses que…

Review of Trenton Merricks' Truth and Ontology [Ressenya]

2011

The main thesis of Truth and Ontology has been described by previous reviewers as"the radical conclusion that what is true does not depend on what there is" (J. Schaffer,"Truth and Fundamentality: On Merrick"s Truth and Ontology," Philosophical Books, 49, 4, 2008), and as the"bold and interesting view that we should give up the view that truth depends on being. (So the book could have been called Truth without Ontology.)" (B. Caplan,"Truth and Ontology," Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews.) I disagree.

A propósito de El Libre Albedrío, de Carlos Moya

2017

Perdurance, endurance, and 'havingh a property atemporally'

2008

In this section, I present very summarily the two views on persistence and change that I want to consider, paying special attention to their shared feature mentioned above. Let me first make clear what I understand by"persistence","change" and"theories of persistence". Following Lewis (1986), I say that an object x persists iff x exists at different times. And I say that x changes with respect to a property P iff x exemplifies P at some time and fails to do so at some other time in which x exists. Theories of persistence for a domain of objects O are intended to explain how objects in O persist, i.e. in virtue of which facts they manage to exist at different times. This explanation must be …

Metaontology

2015

[ES] El término «metaontología» se aplica a la indagación sobre la naturaleza de la ontología. Si bien este tipo de indagación tiene importantes precedentes en la historia de la filosofía moderna, en los últimos quince años ha cobrado renovado interés dentro de la tradición analítica, en parte debido al notorio desarrollo de la ontología misma en las últimas décadas. En este capítulo se presentarán algunos de los principales problemas metaontológicos, y las posiciones más destacadas sobre los mismos. [EN] The term «metaontology» applies to the inquiry on the nature of ontology. Although this type of inquiry has important precedents in the history of modern philosophy, in the last fifteen ye…

Reseña de What is that thing called metaphysics, de Brian Garrett [Ressenya]

2012

Reseña de What is that thing called metaphysics, de Brian Garrett

Libertad y acción 2013. Material Docente

2013

Material docente preparado por el profesor Pablo Rychter para la asignatura Libertad y Acción del curso 2012-13. Courseware prepared by professor Pablo Rychter for the course Freedom and Agency for the accademic year 2012-13.

Metafísica I (Grup B) 2013. Material Docent

2013

Material docente preparado por el profesor Pablo Rychter para la asignatura Metafísica I (grupo B) del curso 2013-14. Courseware prepared by professor Pablo Rychter for the course Metaphysics I (group B) for the accademic year 2013-14.

Metafísica I (Grup B) 2015: Material Docent

2015

Metafísica I (Grup B) 2015: Material Docent

Metafísica I (Grup B) 2014. Material Docent

2014

El document forma part dels materials docents programats mitjançant l'ajut del Servei de Política Lingüística de la Universitat de València. Material docent preparat pel professor Pablo Rychter per a l'assignatura Metafísica I (grup B) del curs 2014-15. Courseware prepared by professor Pablo Rychter for the course Metaphysics I (group B) for the accademic year 2014-15.

How to do well in the exams 2013

2013

Material docente preparado por el profesor Pablo Rychter para la asignatura Pensamiento en la Cultura Anglófona del curso 2012-13 Courseware prepared by professor Pablo Rychter for the course Philosophical Thought in the English-speaking World for the accademic year 2012-13