Topics in the philosophy of possible worlds / Daniel P. Nolan.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Nolan, Daniel Patrick, 1972- author.

Series:

Studies in philosophy (New York, N.Y.)

Studies in philosophy. Outstanding dissertations

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Modality (Logic).

Physical Description:

1 online resource (229 p.)

Place of Publication:

New York : Routledge, 2002.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

This book discusses a range of important issues in current philosophical work on the nature of possible worlds. Areas investigated include the theories of the nature of possible worlds, general questions about metaphysical analysis and questions about the direction of dependence between what is necessary or possible and what could be.

Contents:

Cover; Title page; Table of Contents; Copyright ; Preface; Introduction; The General Approach; Chapter One Possible Worlds; What are ""Possible Worlds""?; The Competing Theories of Possible Worlds; Chapter Two Towards Explaining the Connection Between Modality and Possible Worlds; What Might the Connection between Possible Worlds Talk and Modal Operator Talk be?; The Primitives of a Theory; Modal Primitives; Chapter Three Expressive Completeness without Possible Worlds; The Hazen Cases; Neutral Quantification; The First Three Hazen Cases: Problems of Existence

Hazen Case Number Four: A Case to be Set AsideTwo Challenging Hazen Cases; Defending The Use of Second-Order QML; Chapter Four Problems for 'Strong' Modal Fictionalism; Three Varieties of Modal Fictionalism: Broad, Timid and Strong; The First Problem: Artificiality; The Second Problem: The Incompleteness of the Modal Fiction; The Third Problem: Propositions; An Assumption Relied on by the Incompleteness Objections, and a Defence Thereof; A Final Problem: Redundancy; Conclusion; Chapter Five Representing Aliens; The Problem; Denials that the Problem Arises

Explaining the Caveat ""Not Constructible out of Existing Universals""How to Represent Alien Universals; The Problem for Linguistic Ersatzism and Modal Fictionalism; Making Sure the World-Book Represents the Actual Universe; From Universes to Worlds-Salvaging Ersatz Worlds from the Inter-Definition; How a Linguistic Ersatzer Can Reply to Lewis's Objection Based on Alien Universals; Conclusion; Chapter Six Recombination Unbound; The Principle of Recombination and Lewis's Restriction; The Forrest/Armstrong Argument; How Possibilia Can be Seen as Forming a Proper Class

Some Arguments Against the Thesis that there is a Maximum Size of Worlds (MS)Conclusion; Chapter Seven A Reduction of Classes to Possible Worlds; The State-of-Play in Lewis's System; How Atoms Can Perform Double Duty; A Surprising Feature of the Account; Utilising the Surprising Feature; Recapitulation; Appendix One Proofs for Chapter Seven; Section 1: Proving that My Systems Satisfy Lewis's So-Called ""Standard Axioms""; Section 2: Proofs of Impredicative Comprehension; Appendix Two Trouble for Lewis's ""Main Thesis""; The Problem; The Model; The Remedy; References; Subject Index

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 201-205) and index.

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

1-135-72814-3

1-135-72821-6

1-315-05487-6

9781315054872

OCLC:

863823158