Change
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Change | |
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| Type | Metaphysical concept |
| Field | Metaphysics |
| Core idea | Difference in the properties or states of an entity across time |
| Assumptions | Entities can vary over time; variation is intelligible |
| Status | Foundational concept |
| Related | Persistence; Identity; Time; Accidental properties |
Change is a metaphysical concept concerned with how entities differ across time. To say that something changes is to say that it has different properties or states at different times, while potentially remaining the same entity.
Change is a central topic in metaphysics and underlies discussions of persistence, identity, and temporal structure.
Core idea
At its core, change involves variation over time. An entity changes when at least one of its properties or states differs between two times.
Change presupposes temporal ordering and comparison, distinguishing it from mere difference across space or circumstance.
Change and identity
Change raises questions about identity. Entities are often said to remain the same despite undergoing change, which requires distinguishing between changes compatible with identity and changes that undermine it.
This distinction motivates separating essential features from accidental ones.
Change and persistence
Change is closely related to persistence. Persistence concerns how an entity remains numerically identical over time, while change concerns what varies during that persistence.
Accounts of persistence must explain how change is possible without loss of identity.
Types of change
Philosophers distinguish different kinds of change, including:
- qualitative change, involving alteration of properties;
- quantitative change, involving variation in degree or amount;
- relational change, involving changes in relations to other entities;
- substantial change, involving coming into or going out of existence.
These distinctions clarify different metaphysical phenomena.
Change and time
Change presupposes time. Without temporal structure, there is no basis for saying that something has changed rather than merely differs.
Debates about the nature of time therefore affect accounts of change.
Change and causation
Many changes are explained in terms of causation. Causes are often identified as factors that bring about changes in states or properties.
However, not all change is causal in a straightforward sense, especially in abstract or mathematical domains.
Change and essence
Change is constrained by essence. An entity can change accidental properties while retaining its essence, but loss of essential features is commonly treated as loss of identity.
This constraint structures which changes are metaphysically permissible.
Gradual and abrupt change
Some changes occur gradually over time, while others appear abrupt. Gradual change raises questions about thresholds and continuity, while abrupt change raises questions about replacement and discontinuity.
These issues motivate classic metaphysical puzzles.
Change in science
Scientific accounts of change often emphasize processes, dynamics, and laws governing evolution over time. Change is described using mathematical models, causal mechanisms, or statistical patterns.
Scientific perspectives sometimes challenge static metaphysical intuitions.
Problems and puzzles
Philosophical puzzles about change include cases involving paradoxical motion, continuous variation, and replacement of parts. These puzzles test whether concepts of identity and persistence can accommodate complex change.
Such problems have historically shaped metaphysical theory.
Status
Change is a foundational concept in metaphysics. Its analysis clarifies how variation, persistence, and identity interact and how entities can remain the same while becoming different.