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Series:   Elements in Ancient Philosophy

Relative Change

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  17 September 2020

Matthew Duncombe
Matthew Duncombe
Affiliation:
University of Nottingham

Summary

A relative change occurs when some item changes a relation. This Element examines how Plato, Aristotle, Stoics and Sextus Empiricus approached relative change. Relative change is puzzling because the following three propositions each seem true but cannot be true together: (1) No relative changes are intrinsic changes; (2) Only intrinsic changes are proper changes; (3) Some relative changes are proper changes. Plato's Theaetetus and Phaedo property relative change. I argue that these dialogues assume relative changes to be intrinsic changes, so denying (1). Aristotle responds differently, by denying (3) that relative change is proper change. The Stoics claimed that some non-intrinsic changes are changes (denying (2)). Finally, I discuss Sextus' argument that relative change shows that there are no relatives at all.
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Keywords

PlatoAristotleStoicsSextus Empiricusrelative change
Type
Element
Information
Series: Elements in Ancient Philosophy
Online ISBN: 9781108581660
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication: 08 October 2020

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