1 snap and span barry smith and pierre grenon university at buffalo and ifomis.de university of...

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SNAP and SPANBarry Smith and Pierre Grenon

University at Buffaloand

ifomis.deUniversity of Leipzig

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Fourdimensionalism

– time is just another dimension, analogous to the three spatial dimensions

– only processes exist– substances are analyzed away as

worms/fibers within the four-dimensional process plenum

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There are no substances

Bill Clinton does not existRather: there exists within the

four-dimensional plenum a continuous succession of processes which are similar in Billclintonizing way

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Parts of processes (1)

c

c: boundary

a

a

a: scattered part

b

b: temporal slice

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Parts of processes (2)

a

a: sub-process

b

b: phase

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There is no change

That the water boils means: Not: the water is colder at one

time and hotter at another timeRather: that one phase of the

boiling process is cold and another hot

as one part of a colored ribbon is red and another blue

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The Parable of Little Tommy’s Christmas Present

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Reductionism

1. a sort of adolescent rebellion

2. a product of physics envy3. we must simplify reality for

the sake of the software

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Confession

Some of my best friends are fourdimensionalists

Fourdimensionalism is right in everything it saysBut incomplete

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Realist Perspectivalism

There is a multiplicity of ontological perspectives on reality, all equally veridical = transparent to reality

e.g. perspectives at different granularities

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Need for different perspectives

Not one ontology, but a multiplicity of complementary ontologies

Cf. Quantum mechanics: particle vs. wave ontologies

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Two Orthogonal, Complementary

Perspectives

SNAP and SPAN

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Substances and processes exist in time in different

ways

substance

t i m

e

process

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Snapshot Video ontology ontology

substance

t i m

e

process

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SNAP and SPAN

Substances and processesContinuants and occurrents

In preparing an inventory of realitywe keep track of these two different categories of entities in two different ways

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SNAP and SPAN

stocks and flowscommodities and services

product and process

anatomy and physiology

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SNAP and SPAN

lobster and growthnation and history

population and migrationocean and tide

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SNAP and SPAN

SNAP entities- have continuous existence in time- preserve their identity through change- exist in toto if they exist at all

SPAN entities- have temporal parts- unfold themselves phase by phase- exist only in their phases/stages

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SNAP vs. SPAN

1. SNAP: a SNAPshot ontology of endurants existing at a time

2. SPAN: a four-dimensionalist ontology of processes

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SNAP vs. SPAN

Substances vs. their lives

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You are a substance

Your life is a process

You are 3-dimensionalYour life is 4-dimensional

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Change

Adding SNAP to the fourdimensionalist perspective makes it possible to recognize the existence of change

(SNAP entities are that which endure, providing identity through change)

SNAP also provides a perspective point from which SPAN processes can be apprehended as changes

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Substances do not have temporal parts

The first 5-minute phase of my existence is not a temporal part of me It is a temporal part of that complex process which is my life

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How do you know whether an entity is SNAP or SPAN?

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Three kinds of SNAP entities

1. Substances2. SPQR… entities3. Spatial regions, contexts,

niches, environments

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SPQR… entities

States, powers, qualities, roles …

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Other SPQR… entities:

functions, dispositions, plans, shapes

SPQR… entities are all dependent on substances

relations

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Spatial regions, niches, environments

Organisms evolve into environments

Island biogeography

Atomic physicsCell biology

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each SNAP section through reality

includes everything which existsat the corresponding now

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Many SNAP Ontologies

t1

t3

t2

here time exists outside the ontology, as an index or time-stamp

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The SPAN Ontology

t i m e

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here time exists as part of the domain of the ontology

The SPAN ontology

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SNAP ontology

many sharp boundaries

SPAN ontologymany smeered boundaries

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SNAP entities

provide the principles of individuation/segmentation for SPAN

entities

No change without some THING or QUALITY which changes

identity-based change research

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Ontology of War

need both continuants (army, battle-group , materiel, morale, readiness, battlespace …)

and occurrents (manoeuvre, campaign, supply, trajectory, death …)

36t i m e

invasion

Battalion moves from A to B

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Each is a window on that dimension of reality which is visible through the given ontology (… Patrick Hayes …)

SNAP and SPAN ontologies are partial only

(Realist perspectivalism)

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SNAP: Entities existing in toto at a time

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Three kinds of SNAP entities

1. Substances2. SPQR… entities3. Spatial regions,

Contexts, Niches

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SNAP

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SPAN: Entities extended in time

SPANEntity extended in time

Portion of Spacetime

Fiat part of process *First phase of a clinical trial

Spacetime worm of 3 + Tdimensions

occupied by life of organism

Temporal interval *projection of organism’s life

onto temporal dimension

Aggregate of processes *Clinical trial

Process[±Relational]

Circulation of blood,secretion of hormones,course of disease, life

Processual Entity[Exists in space and time, unfolds

in time phase by phase]

Temporal boundary ofprocess *

onset of disease, death

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SPAN: Entities extended in time

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SPAN: Entities extended in time

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3-dimensional and 4-dimensional environments

Lobsters have evolved into environments marked by cyclical patterns of temperature change

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Relations between SNAP and SPAN

SNAP-entities participate in processes; they have lives, histories.

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SPQR… entities and their SPAN realizations

the expression of a functionthe exercise of a rolethe execution of a planthe realization of a dispositionthe application of a therapythe course of a disease

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SPQR… entities and their SPAN realizations

functionroleplandispositiontherapydisease

SNAP

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SPQR… entities and their SPAN realizations

expression exercise execution realization applicationcourse

SPAN

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instruction and operationscore and performance

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SNAP entities

provide the principles of individuation for SPAN entities

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Participation

x

y

substances x, y participate in process B

time

Bx

y

SNAP-ti.

time

SPAN

B

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Movement

from location

x

ends

begins

mov

emen

t

to location

y

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Creation

t1

R

SNAP-t1

t2>t1

R

SNAP-t2

process P initiates a,a's birth at t2 a's life overlaps process P

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Granularity

spatial region substance

parts of substances are always substances

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Granularity

spatial region substance

parts of spatial regions are always spatial regions

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Granularity

process

parts of processes are always processes

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MORAL

Relations crossing the SNAP/SPAN border are

never part-relations

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Relations crossing the SNAP/SPAN border are never part-relations

John’s lifesubstance John

physiological processes

sustaining in existence

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An adequate ontology of geography has to have three components:

SNAP GeO

SPAN GeO

FIELD GeO

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GeO

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SNAP GeO

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SPAN GeO

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FIELD GeO

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problem cases

traffic jamforest fire

hurricane Mariawaves

shadows