1. Aims and Purposes:

The objective of this workshop is to help advance our understanding of dispositions by addressing semantic and metaphysical issues concerning them. We often talk of dispositions in everyday life. We talk, for instance, that the glass is disposed to break when dropped, that the paper is disposed to burn when put in fire, that the salt is disposed to dissolve when put in water, and so on. All these talks describe powers or potentialities that are in certain things but may not be actually manifested. In this sense, dispositions are powers, potentials, or tendencies to do something. We use various linguistic expressions to describe dispositions. Expressions such as “water-soluble”, “flammable”, “courageous”, “honest”, “electrically charged”, and “magnetized” are all used to refer to dispositions. This workshop aims at discussing semantic issues involving such expressions and, on the basis of it, proposing a convincing theory on the metaphysics of powers.

2. People to whom it may be of interest:

Philosophers, scientists interested in philosophy, linguists interested in semantics, humanists interested in metaphysics, etc.

3. Reading List

4. Time:

5. Location

2 Sept.: Seminar Room, 3rd Floor, Bldg # 7, Seoul Nat'l Univ. Gwanak Campus (sketch map)

3 Sept. - 5 Sept.: Seminar Room, 2nd floor, The Main Library, Kyung Hee University (sketch map)

6. Speakers:

7. Workshop webpage

8. Schedule (subject to change)