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Università della Svizzera italiana
Temporal Existence

 
 
 
Temporal Existence



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Welcome to the website of the SNSF-funded "Temporal Existence" project (Starting
Grant n. 211294), based at the Institute of Philosophy at the Università della
Svizzera italiana (USI) in Lugano, Switzerland.

The project in a nutshell

Everything in our universe exists at some time and at some place. But what is it
for something to exist at a time? What is temporal existence? This project
tackles this question head-on. Drawing from metaphysics and physics (Special and
General Relativity in particular), this interdisciplinary project will launch a
systematic inquiry into the nature of temporal existence. It will also explore
the transformative impact that this inquiry can have in philosophy and beyond.
Questions to be addressed in the four sub-projects include: What is temporal
existence – a property, a relation, a mode of being, none of the above? What is
spacetime? Under what conditions, if at all, does Relativity Theory support the
spacetime view? How, if at all, should our views on temporal existence be
revised in light of Relativity Theory? What impact do theories of temporal
existence have on several central questions in metaphysics, philosophy of mind,
and philosophy of religion?


 * THE PROJECT IN MORE DETAIL
   
   Everything in our concrete universe, from the smallest elementary particle to
   the largest galaxy, exists at some time and at some place. But what is it for
   something to exist at a time? What is temporal existence? Even though other
   topics in the vicinity, such as tenseless existence, time, persistence, and
   temporary intrinsics, have been at the centre of much recent philosophical
   research, this specific question has been overlooked so far, as witnessed by
   the state of current research. This project tackles this problem head-on.
   Drawing from metaphysics and physics, this project will launch the first
   systematic inquiry into the nature of temporal existence and explore the
   transformative impact that this inquiry can have in philosophy and beyond.
   The first part of the project will be devoted to the investigation of the
   nature of temporal existence. In this context, we will adopt an
   interdisciplinary approach, combining elements from metaphysics and the
   philosophy of physics. First, a cartography of theories of temporal existence
   will be properly charted, thanks to recently developed formal tools in
   location theory and in the theory of grounding. Second, we will consider
   Relativity Theory, and the four-dimensional, spatiotemporal, worldview that
   is routinely taken to support, and explore the consequences that Relativity
   can legitimately be taken to have on the nature of temporal existence. In the
   second part of the project, we will apply the results of the first part to
   two case studies. First, the case of abstract objects, such universals and
   fictional entities. Second, the case of the possibility of an afterlife.
   Almost without exception, investigations into these topics are marked by the
   adoption of a purely a priori approach. On the other hand, the hybrid
   approach of the present project promises to get us new and solid results on
   these central and perennial questions of philosophy. This inter-disciplinary
   project puts forward, and envisages to answer, new fundamental philosophical
   questions. It also aims to tackle classical questions in philosophy and
   beyond in fundamentally innovative ways.


CONTACTS

 * SNF Starting Grant Temporal Existence
   
   
   damiano.costa@usi.ch

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Institute of Philosophy
Facoltà di Teologia di Lugano
Una Facoltà affiliata
all'Università della Svizzera italiana
Via Buffi 13
6962 Lugano-Viganello, Switzerland

 


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