Meta Ontology

In this paper I explore how the tenseless copula is to be interpreted in sentences of the form '' a is F at t '', where '' a '' denotes a persisting, changeable object, '' F '' stands for a prima facie intrinsic property and '' t '' for a B-time. I argue that the interpretation of the copula depends on the logical role assigned to the time clause. Having rejected the idea that the time clause is to be treated as a sentence operator, I argue: (1) that if ''at t '' is thought of as being associated with '' a '' or '' F '', then the tenseless copula is most plausibly read as an ''is'' simpliciter ; and (2) that if ''at t '' is treated as being associated with the copula, then the tenseless copula is most plausibly understood as expressing a disjunction of tensed copulas. I end the paper by explaining the importance of the issue. I indicate the ramifications interpretation of the tenseless copula has for the so-called problem of temporary intrinsics.