Abstract

My dissertation is an investigation into the nature of events. I first argue that we need a clearer account of events in order to facilitate philosophical discussion of many phenomena that make use of the notion of events. For example, since events are thought to be causal relata, we cannot specify the truth conditions for causal claims without first laying out a clear account of the essential characteristics of events. With that in mind I discuss what characteristics events have, and which characteristics they have essentially. I do this by considering in some detail the main elements of our event concept. We think that physical objects are involved in many events, but we also think that their having some particular property is involved. For example, we think that some train is involved in a derailment, but that its having the property derailing is also involved. So I take a very close look at both physical objects and properties. That is, I investigate various ways we might understand objects and properties and endorse particular views about them. I argue that we ought to think about objects as temporally and spatially extended, and that we should take them to have their spatio-temporal locations as well as their matter essentially. I endorse the view that properties are non-spatio-temporal and universal in nature . Finally, I investigate the nature of the relation between events and the objects and properties that are involved in them. I argue that we should take that relation to be mereological so that events have objects and properties as parts. All of this works together to provide a complete account of the essential characteristics of events. One characteristic that an event has essentially is its spatio-temporal location. Now this may seem a bit counterintuitive. One last thing I do in my dissertation, then, is address such concerns by considering the complexity of the relation between events and the expressions that refer to them. This puts us in a position from which we can conduct philosophical investigations into various phenomena involving events