Logical and Nomological Obstacles to Foreknowledge of the Future
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Data de Publicação: | 2019 |
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Tipo de documento: | Artigo |
Idioma: | eng |
Título da fonte: | Principia (Florianópolis. Online) |
Texto Completo: | https://periodicos.ufsc.br/index.php/principia/article/view/1808-1711.2019v23n2p345 |
Resumo: | A famous puzzle called “Grandmother Paradox” is used to argue against the feasibility of traveling backward in time because of the logical and nomological problems such travel involves, and not only because we don’t have the technology to make it reality. The same kind of problems would be encountered in leaping forward in time and then returning to the time of departure. We argue that a similar family of problems also arise in our having foreknowledge of the future without making any time travel. We point to the mysterious consequences of having access to a being, say a machine or a psychic, that can have infallible knowledge of the future and conveys this foreknowledge to human beings truthfully, without any lies or distortions. The cause of these mysterious consequences is the fact that such machines or psychics will raise logical and nomological complications reminiscent of the ones we encounter in time travel scenarios, and that is a strong reason why infallible foretellers cannot exist. We conclude that we can have foreknowledge of the future, in principle, only within certain narrow limits, if at all. |
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Logical and Nomological Obstacles to Foreknowledge of the FutureLogical and nomological obstacles to foreknowledge of the futureA famous puzzle called “Grandmother Paradox” is used to argue against the feasibility of traveling backward in time because of the logical and nomological problems such travel involves, and not only because we don’t have the technology to make it reality. The same kind of problems would be encountered in leaping forward in time and then returning to the time of departure. We argue that a similar family of problems also arise in our having foreknowledge of the future without making any time travel. We point to the mysterious consequences of having access to a being, say a machine or a psychic, that can have infallible knowledge of the future and conveys this foreknowledge to human beings truthfully, without any lies or distortions. The cause of these mysterious consequences is the fact that such machines or psychics will raise logical and nomological complications reminiscent of the ones we encounter in time travel scenarios, and that is a strong reason why infallible foretellers cannot exist. We conclude that we can have foreknowledge of the future, in principle, only within certain narrow limits, if at all.A famous puzzle called “Grandmother Paradox” is used to argue against the feasibility of traveling backward in time because of the logical and nomological problems such travel involves, and not only because we don’t have the technology to make it reality. The same kind of problems would be encountered in leaping forward in time and then returning to the time of departure. We argue that a similar family of problems also arise in our having foreknowledge of the future without making any time travel. We point to the mysterious consequences of having access to a being, say a machine or a psychic, that can have infallible knowledge of the future and conveys this foreknowledge to human beings truthfully, without any lies or distortions. The cause of the said mysterious consequences is the fact that such machines or psychics will raise the same kind of logical and nomological complications we encounter in time travel scenarios, and that is a strong reason why infallible foretellers cannot exist. We conclude that we can have foreknowledge of the future, in principle, only within certain narrow limits, if at all.Federal University of Santa Catarina – UFSC2019-08-16info:eu-repo/semantics/articleinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersionapplication/pdfhttps://periodicos.ufsc.br/index.php/principia/article/view/1808-1711.2019v23n2p34510.5007/1808-1711.2019v23n2p345Principia: an international journal of epistemology; Vol. 23 No. 2 (2019); 345-360Principia: an international journal of epistemology; Vol. 23 Núm. 2 (2019); 345-360Principia: an international journal of epistemology; v. 23 n. 2 (2019); 345-3601808-17111414-4247reponame:Principia (Florianópolis. Online)instname:Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina (UFSC)instacron:UFSCenghttps://periodicos.ufsc.br/index.php/principia/article/view/1808-1711.2019v23n2p345/pdfCopyright (c) 2021 Erdinç Sayan, Hasan Cagatayinfo:eu-repo/semantics/openAccessSayan, ErdinçCagatay, Hasan2019-12-16T17:16:29Zoai:periodicos.ufsc.br:article/59711Revistahttps://periodicos.ufsc.br/index.php/principiaPUBhttps://periodicos.ufsc.br/index.php/principia/oaiprincipia@contato.ufsc.br||principia@contato.ufsc.br1808-17111414-4247opendoar:2019-12-16T17:16:29Principia (Florianópolis. Online) - Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina (UFSC)false |
dc.title.none.fl_str_mv |
Logical and Nomological Obstacles to Foreknowledge of the Future Logical and nomological obstacles to foreknowledge of the future |
title |
Logical and Nomological Obstacles to Foreknowledge of the Future |
spellingShingle |
Logical and Nomological Obstacles to Foreknowledge of the Future Sayan, Erdinç |
title_short |
Logical and Nomological Obstacles to Foreknowledge of the Future |
title_full |
Logical and Nomological Obstacles to Foreknowledge of the Future |
title_fullStr |
Logical and Nomological Obstacles to Foreknowledge of the Future |
title_full_unstemmed |
Logical and Nomological Obstacles to Foreknowledge of the Future |
title_sort |
Logical and Nomological Obstacles to Foreknowledge of the Future |
author |
Sayan, Erdinç |
author_facet |
Sayan, Erdinç Cagatay, Hasan |
author_role |
author |
author2 |
Cagatay, Hasan |
author2_role |
author |
dc.contributor.author.fl_str_mv |
Sayan, Erdinç Cagatay, Hasan |
description |
A famous puzzle called “Grandmother Paradox” is used to argue against the feasibility of traveling backward in time because of the logical and nomological problems such travel involves, and not only because we don’t have the technology to make it reality. The same kind of problems would be encountered in leaping forward in time and then returning to the time of departure. We argue that a similar family of problems also arise in our having foreknowledge of the future without making any time travel. We point to the mysterious consequences of having access to a being, say a machine or a psychic, that can have infallible knowledge of the future and conveys this foreknowledge to human beings truthfully, without any lies or distortions. The cause of these mysterious consequences is the fact that such machines or psychics will raise logical and nomological complications reminiscent of the ones we encounter in time travel scenarios, and that is a strong reason why infallible foretellers cannot exist. We conclude that we can have foreknowledge of the future, in principle, only within certain narrow limits, if at all. |
publishDate |
2019 |
dc.date.none.fl_str_mv |
2019-08-16 |
dc.type.driver.fl_str_mv |
info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion |
format |
article |
status_str |
publishedVersion |
dc.identifier.uri.fl_str_mv |
https://periodicos.ufsc.br/index.php/principia/article/view/1808-1711.2019v23n2p345 10.5007/1808-1711.2019v23n2p345 |
url |
https://periodicos.ufsc.br/index.php/principia/article/view/1808-1711.2019v23n2p345 |
identifier_str_mv |
10.5007/1808-1711.2019v23n2p345 |
dc.language.iso.fl_str_mv |
eng |
language |
eng |
dc.relation.none.fl_str_mv |
https://periodicos.ufsc.br/index.php/principia/article/view/1808-1711.2019v23n2p345/pdf |
dc.rights.driver.fl_str_mv |
Copyright (c) 2021 Erdinç Sayan, Hasan Cagatay info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
rights_invalid_str_mv |
Copyright (c) 2021 Erdinç Sayan, Hasan Cagatay |
eu_rights_str_mv |
openAccess |
dc.format.none.fl_str_mv |
application/pdf |
dc.publisher.none.fl_str_mv |
Federal University of Santa Catarina – UFSC |
publisher.none.fl_str_mv |
Federal University of Santa Catarina – UFSC |
dc.source.none.fl_str_mv |
Principia: an international journal of epistemology; Vol. 23 No. 2 (2019); 345-360 Principia: an international journal of epistemology; Vol. 23 Núm. 2 (2019); 345-360 Principia: an international journal of epistemology; v. 23 n. 2 (2019); 345-360 1808-1711 1414-4247 reponame:Principia (Florianópolis. Online) instname:Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina (UFSC) instacron:UFSC |
instname_str |
Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina (UFSC) |
instacron_str |
UFSC |
institution |
UFSC |
reponame_str |
Principia (Florianópolis. Online) |
collection |
Principia (Florianópolis. Online) |
repository.name.fl_str_mv |
Principia (Florianópolis. Online) - Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina (UFSC) |
repository.mail.fl_str_mv |
principia@contato.ufsc.br||principia@contato.ufsc.br |
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1789435113796272128 |