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Single Idea 11115

[filed under theme 5. Theory of Logic / G. Quantification / 3. Objectual Quantification ]

Full Idea

Two ways to see 'all horses are animals' are as picking out all the horses (so that it is a 'horse-quantifier'), ..or as ranging over lots of things in addition to horses, with 'horses' then restricting the things to those that satisfy 'is a horse'.

Gist of Idea

'All horses' either picks out the horses, or the things which are horses

Source

Michael Jubien (Analyzing Modality [2007], 2)

Book Ref

'Oxford Studies in Metaphysics vol.3', ed/tr. Zimmerman,Dean W. [OUP 2007], p.107


A Reaction

Jubien says this gives you two different metaphysical views, of a world of horses etc., or a world of things which 'are horses'. I vote for the first one, as the second seems to invoke an implausible categorical property ('being a horse'). Cf Idea 11116.

Related Idea

Idea 11116 Being a physical object is our most fundamental category [Jubien]


The 14 ideas from 'Analyzing Modality'

Your properties, not some other world, decide your possibilities [Jubien]
Modal truths are facts about parts of this world, not about remote maximal entities [Jubien]
We have no idea how many 'possible worlds' there might be [Jubien]
If there are no other possible worlds, do we then exist necessarily? [Jubien]
If all possible worlds just happened to include stars, their existence would be necessary [Jubien]
Possible worlds just give parallel contingencies, with no explanation at all of necessity [Jubien]
If other worlds exist, then they are scattered parts of the actual world [Jubien]
Worlds don't explain necessity; we use necessity to decide on possible worlds [Jubien]
We mustn't confuse a similar person with the same person [Jubien]
Being a physical object is our most fundamental category [Jubien]
Haecceities implausibly have no qualities [Jubien]
'All horses' either picks out the horses, or the things which are horses [Jubien]
Modal propositions transcend the concrete, but not the actual [Jubien]
De re necessity is just de dicto necessity about object-essences [Jubien]