Lewis' Reduction of Modality

Date

2011

Authors

Berkovski, S.

Editor(s)

Advisor

Supervisor

Co-Advisor

Co-Supervisor

Instructor

BUIR Usage Stats
2
views
7
downloads

Citation Stats

Series

Abstract

I start by reconsidering two familiar arguments against modal realism. The argument from epistemology relates to the issue whether we can infer the existence of concrete objects by a priori means. The argument from pragmatics purports to refute the analogy between the indispensability of possible worlds and the indispensability of unobserved entities in physical science and of numbers in mathematics. Then I present two novel objections. One focusses on the obscurity of the notion of isolation required by modal realism. The other stresses the arbitrary nature of the rules governing the behaviour of Lewisean universes. All four objections attack the reductive analysis of modality that is supposed to be the chief merit of modal realism.

Source Title

Acta Analytica

Publisher

Course

Other identifiers

Book Title

Degree Discipline

Degree Level

Degree Name

Citation

Published Version (Please cite this version)

Language

English