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Single Idea 12202

[filed under theme 10. Modality / A. Necessity / 6. Logical Necessity ]

Full Idea

While Fine suggests defining a narrow notion of logical necessity in terms of metaphysical necessity by 'restriction' (to logical truths that can be defined in non-modal terms), this seems unpromising for broad logical necessity, which is modal.

Gist of Idea

Narrow non-modal logical necessity may be metaphysical, but real logical necessity is not

Source

Ian Rumfitt (Logical Necessity [2010], §2)

Book Ref

'Modality', ed/tr. Hale,B/Hoffman,A [OUP 2010], p.46


A Reaction

[compressed] He cites Kit Fine 2002. Rumfitt glosses the non-modal definitions as purely formal. The metaphysics lurks somewhere in the proof.


The 11 ideas from 'Logical Necessity'

A distinctive type of necessity is found in logical consequence [Rumfitt, by Hale/Hoffmann,A]
Logical necessity is when 'necessarily A' implies 'not-A is contradictory' [Rumfitt]
Contradictions include 'This is red and not coloured', as well as the formal 'B and not-B' [Rumfitt]
Soundness in argument varies with context, and may be achieved very informally indeed [Rumfitt]
Geometrical axioms in logic are nowadays replaced by inference rules (which imply the logical truths) [Rumfitt]
There is a modal element in consequence, in assessing reasoning from suppositions [Rumfitt]
We reject deductions by bad consequence, so logical consequence can't be deduction [Rumfitt]
A logically necessary statement need not be a priori, as it could be unknowable [Rumfitt]
Narrow non-modal logical necessity may be metaphysical, but real logical necessity is not [Rumfitt]
If a world is a fully determinate way things could have been, can anyone consider such a thing? [Rumfitt]
The logic of metaphysical necessity is S5 [Rumfitt]