Mediated Relations

Abstract

Many relations require both their terms to be present at the same time in the same world. If Shem kicks Shaun then that will happen at some time t in some world w. So the relation, in a possible-worlds framework, can be thought of as a function which associates any pair 〈a,b〉 of individuals with the set of 〈w,t〉 pairs such that a kicks b at t in w (or alternatively as a function which associates with each world-time pair the set of pairs of which the first kicks the second in that world at that time). In the case of kicking, and most ‘ordinary’ relations, both tenns must exist in the world and at the time at which the kicking or other relation takes place. But not all relations are like this.