Can a City Be Relocated? Exploring the Metaphysics of Context-Dependency
Issue: • Author/s: Fabio Bacchini, Nicola Piras
Topics: Epistemology, Metaphysics
This paper explores the Persistence Question about cities, that is, what is necessary and sufficient for two cities existing at different times to be numerically identical. We first show that we can possibly put an end to the existence of a city in a number of ways other than by physically destroying it, which reveals the metaphysics of cities to be partly different from that of ordinary objects. Then we focus in particular on the commonly perceived vulnerability of cities to imaginary relocation; and we make the hypothesis that cities…
Metaphysics at the Table: Introduction [Special Issue]
Issue: Issue 10 • Author/s: Andrea Borghini, Donatella Donati, Nicola Piras
Topics: Introduction, Metaphysics, Ontology
Can a City Be Relocated? Exploring the Metaphysics of Context-Dependency
Issue: Issue 13 • Author/s: Fabio Bacchini, Nicola Piras
Topics: Epistemology, Metaphysics, Philosophy of science, Theoretical philosophy
This paper explores the Persistence Question about cities, that is, what is necessary and sufficient for two cities existing at different times to be numerically identical. We first show that we can possibly put an end to the existence of a city in a number of ways other than by physically destroying it, which reveals the metaphysics of cities to be partly different from that of ordinary objects. Then we focus in particular on the commonly perceived vulnerability of cities to imaginary relocation; and we make the hypothesis that cities…