Reichenbach on indeterminism and becoming
| Abstract | In this paper, I criticize a common misinterpretation of Hans Reichenbach’s argument that indeterminism is both necessary and sufficient for temporal becoming. I show that Reichenbach’s argument rests on the assumption of a particular variety of verificationism (which I call ‘Weak Probabilistic Verificationism’) and that Reichenbach’s critics have failed to notice this premise. The purpose of the paper is not to defend Reichenbach’s thesis—I offer no argument in support of this verificationist premise. My aim is simply to set the historical record straight by correcting a prevalent misinterpretation of Reichenbach’s argument. The argument, as I reconstruct it, is not only valid but also far more ingenious than is commonly allowed. Correct or not, I believe it remains worthy of study. | |||||||||
| Keywords | No keywords specified (fix it) | |||||||||
| Categories | ||||||||||
| Options |
|
|||||||||
Download options| PhilPapers Archive |
Upload a copy of this paper Check publisher's policy on self-archival Papers currently archived: 5,701 |
| External links | This entry has no external links. Add one. |
| Through your library | Only published papers are available at libraries |
Similar books and articlesDennis Dieks (1987). Gravitation as a Universal Force. Synthese 73 (2):381 - 397.
Jon Torgerson (1988). Reichenbach and Smart on Temporal Discourse. Philosophy Research Archives 14:381-394.
Andreas Kamlah (1977). Hans Reichenbach's Relativity of Geometry. Synthese 34 (3):249 - 263.
David Atkinson & Jeanne Peijnenburg (2008). Reichenbach's Posits Reposited. Erkenntnis 69 (1):93 - 108.
G. Irzik & G. Guezeldere (eds.) (2005). Turkish Studies in the History and Philosophy of Science. Springer.
Carsten Klein (2001). Conventionalism and Realism in Hans Reichenbach's Philosophy of Geometry. International Studies in the Philosophy of Science 15 (3):243 – 251.
Analytics
Monthly downloads |
Added to index2009-01-28Total downloads4 ( #178,748 of 549,117 )Recent downloads (6 months)0How can I increase my downloads? |
My notes
Discussion
