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Full Idea
According to a theory proposed by Adams, possible worlds are world-stories, that is maximally complete consistent sets of propositions which between them describe non-existent whole worlds.
Clarification
'Maximal' means every proposition or its negation is included
Gist of Idea
Possible worlds are world-stories, maximal descriptions of whole non-existent worlds
Source
report of Robert Merrihew Adams (Primitive Thisness and Primitive Identity [1979]) by George Molnar - Powers 12.2.2
Book Ref
Molnar,George: 'Powers: a study in metaphysics', ed/tr. Mumford,Stephen [OUP 2003], p.212
A Reaction
Presumably this places an additional constraint on the view that a world is just a maximal set of propositions. It seems to require coherence as well as consistency. Suppose an object destroys all others objects. Is that a world?
11964 | Possible worlds are world-stories, maximal descriptions of whole non-existent worlds [Adams,RM, by Molnar] |
16285 | A possible world can be seen as a complete and consistent novel [Jeffrey] |
11850 | Not every story corresponds to a possible world [Wiggins] |
16286 | Linguistic possible worlds need a complete supply of unique names for each thing [Lewis] |
16287 | Maximal consistency for a world seems a modal distinction, concerning what could be true together [Lewis] |
9662 | Linguistic possible worlds have problems of inconsistencies, no indiscernibles, and vocabulary [Lewis] |
19493 | Governing possible worlds theory is the fiction that if something is possible, it happens in a world [Yablo] |
5751 | The truth of propositions at possible worlds are implied by the world, just as in books [Melia] |