Powers and the Identity of Agents

A Research Project hosted by the Department of Christian Philosophy of the University of Innsbruck and funded by the Austrian Science Fund

The issue of dispositions and, more particularly, powers is on the cutting edge of contemporary metaphysical debates. Especially recent years have seen a steadily growing interest in their ontological status.

Arguments for the reality of powers, capacities, dispositions etc. stem mainly from the metaphysics of science on the one hand and from our experience of being active beings endowed with various potencies and capabilities on the other.

In our research project, we aim at examining the presuppositions and consequences of dispositional realism and its relation to issues such as persistence, personal identity and agency. By doing so, we hope to ultimately shed new light on ourselves as responsible agents.