Single Idea 17080

[catalogued under 9. Objects / D. Essence of Objects / 7. Essence and Necessity / a. Essence as necessary properties]

Full Idea

The modern essentialist gives the same metaphysical treatment to every grammatical predicate - by associating a function from worlds to extensions for each.

Gist of Idea

Modern essentialists express essence as functions from worlds to extensions for predicates

Source

Cover,J/O'Leary-Hawthorne,J (Substance and Individuation in Leibniz [1999], 2.2)

Book Reference

Cover,J/O'Leary-Hawthorne,J: 'Substance and Individuation in Leibniz' [CUP 1999], p.24


A Reaction

I take this to mean that essentialism is the view that if some predicate attaches to an object then that predicate is essential if there is an extension of that predicate in all possible worlds. In English, essential predicates are necessary predicates.