The Mereology of Potentiality (Monday - Week 5, TT19)

After the advent of general relativity, time travel has become a much discussed topic within the philosophical literature. A powers ontology is a view whose popularity is growing within the philosophical literature; it is a view that defends the idea that there are causal powers, which are causally efficacious (dispositional) properties. These two topics, though, have so far run parallel. In this talk, my aim is to make them interact by trying to answer the question whether causal powers can travel in time. I will explore some time travel scenarios that involve causal powers, show that by traveling in time powers may lose their causal efficacy, and how this would generate problems for a powers ontology.

For more information: https://www.power-parts.website or e-mail power@philosophy.ox.ac.uk