Coincidence Puzzles

Abstract In this chapter, the author attempts a task that is essential to developing a phasalist metaphysics: tackling the array of material coincidence puzzles that have littered the pages of philosophy since ancient times. Phasalism entails a solution to some material coincidence puzzles, such as the classic puzzle of the statue and the piece of clay. But what should the phasalist say about other material coincidence puzzles? The question is especially pressing given that the phasalist solution to the statue puzzle has often been criticized for being too parochial: it cannot be extended to other kinds of material coincidence puzzles, such as those involving material turnover, undetached parts, and fission. The author responds to this charge by deriving solutions to various coincidence puzzles from the phasalist metaphysics he developed in Chapter 2. This approach treats different kinds of coincidence puzzles differently, but the author argues that it compares favorably to rival approaches that treat coincidence puzzles more uniformly.