Järjepidevuste

Järjepidevuste refers to the concept of continuity or persistent identity over time in philosophical and logical discussion. The term originates from the Estonian word järjepidevus, meaning constancy or steadiness, and is used primarily in Estonian academic literature concerning metaphysics, ontology, and the philosophy of identity.

In analytic philosophy, the notion of järjepidevuste is closely linked with the endurance–perdurance debate. Endurantial entities are said to occupy a single spatial location at every instant and to be wholly present at each time, thereby maintaining their identity through a series of separate but connected temporal stages. By contrast, perdurantial entities are extended in time, possessing temporal parts, and possess continuity by virtue of a series of overlapping temporal slices. Järjepidevuste serves as a way to capture the way in which both positions can account for the retention of identity while handling change.

Estonian scholars have applied the concept to a range of issues, from the persistence of cultural artefacts to the continuity of living organisms’ genetic material. The term is also employed in discussions of legal personhood, where a corporation may be regarded as a järjepidevustus over successive generations of management and legal status.

The concept is neutral with regard to metaphysical view; it can be used by proponents of either endurantialism or perdurantialism to describe the stability of identity through a series of events. The discussion of järjepidevuste intersects with other philosophical topics such as the identity of indiscernibles, the nature of time, and the metaphysics of properties.

For further reading, see Estonian philosophical journals on metaphysics, particularly articles that discuss the persistence of objects in the context of this concept.