McTaggart's paradox and Smith's tensed theory of time

Since McTaggart first proposed his paradox asserting the unreality of time, numerous philosophers have attempted to defend the tensed theory of time against it. Certainly, one of the most highly developed and original is that put forth by Quentin Smith. Through discussing McTaggart's positive conception of time as well as his negative attack on its reality, I hope to clarify the dispute between those who believe in the existence of the transitory temporal properties of pastness, presentness and futurity, and those who deny their existence. We shall see that the debate centers around the ontological status of succession and the B-relations of earlier and later. I shall argue that Smith's tensed theory fails because he cannot account for the sense in which events have their tensed properties successively, and he cannot account for the direction of time.     

Truthlikeness and the Lottery Paradox via the Preface Paradox

In a 2017 AJP paper, Cevolani and Schurz (C&S) propose a novel solution to the Preface Paradox that appeals to the notion of expected truthlikeness. This discussion note extends and analyses their approach by applying it to the related Lottery Paradox.     

Badici on Inclosures and the Liar Paradox

Badici [2008] criticizes views of Priest [2002] concerning the Inclosure Schema and the paradoxes of self-reference. This article explains why his criticisms are to be rejected.     

Ismael on the Paradox of Predictability

Philosophia - In this discussion note we argue, contrary to the thrust of a recent article by Jenann Ismael, that resolving the paradox of predictability does not require denying the possibility of...     

道德悖论视阈中的德福悖论

德行与幸福的关系问题是道德哲学的重要问题.德行是否与幸福保持一致直接影响到人们对某种道德理论的判断和评价.运用道德悖论理论可以帮助我们从一种新的视角来分析、理解二者之间的关系.现代德性伦理所追求的提升道德主体的整体德性,对于克服功利主义和单纯义务论对德福关系的简单理解.正确理解德福悖论具有借鉴意义.     

About the artist: Craig antrim

Our cover artist, Alok Hsu Kwang-Han, has a truly adventurous spirit that has led him to motorbike through Tibet, to study and live in India, returning twenty or more times, and to travel the world with his brushes, paper, and an open heart. Last year, he gave a workshop to benefit Psychological Perspectives, which was very well attended. His art is a unique blending of several traditions that evolved over decades. In his words     

Chain-Arguments and the Sorites Paradox

A finite chain of valid arguments can never lead from truth to falsehood. Call this the concatenation principle, or CP. Some propose to reject CP in response to the sorites paradox. I offer a justification of a restricted version of CP based on intuitively-appealing principles, all of which are already assumed in mathematics. The restricted version excludes soritical cases, but covers intuitively correct applications of CP in mathematics and elsewhere. The upshot is that the cost of rejecting the unrestricted CP is much lower than is often assumed.     

New Essays on the Knowability Paradox

Arie L. Molenduk, Aus dem Dunklen ins Helle. Wissenschaft und Theologie im Denken von Heinrich Scholz. Mit unverouml;ffentlichten Thesenreihen von Heinrich Scholz und Karl Barth. (Amsterdam studies in theology, 8.) Amsterdam and Atlanta, Georgia:Rodopi, 1991. 390 pp. Hfl. 120/US $60     

Kuczynski on Partial Knowledge and the Paradox of Analysis

John–Michael Kuczynski says the "paradox of analysis" can be resolved with the proper definition of "partial knowledge." He says that this definition will not do: (K) S has partial knowledge of x = _df S knows some, but not all, of x 's parts. He offers an alternative account of incomplete or partial knowledge. I argue here that: (a) Kuczynski's chief criticisms of (K) are defective; (b) his proposed solution to the paradox of analysis has no clear application to the paradox in its familiar forms; and (c) his solution may not avoid the puzzle about partial knowledge it was designed to resolve.