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Full Idea
Talk of possible worlds is a graphic way of waging the essentialist philosophy, but it is only that; it is not an explication. Essence is needed to identify an object from one possible world to another.
Gist of Idea
Possible worlds are a way to dramatise essentialism, and yet they presuppose essentialism
Source
Willard Quine (Intensions Revisited [1977], p.118)
Book Ref
Quine,Willard: 'Theories and Things' [Harvard 1981], p.118
A Reaction
He makes the proposal sound circular, but I take a commitment to essences to be prior to talk of possible worlds. Possible worlds are a tool for clarifying modalities, not for clarifying essential identities.
13589 | Possible worlds are a way to dramatise essentialism, and yet they presuppose essentialism [Quine] |
13588 | A rigid designator (for all possible worlds) picks out an object by its essential traits [Quine] |
13591 | Quantified modal logic collapses if essence is withdrawn [Quine] |
13590 | Essences can make sense in a particular context or enquiry, as the most basic predicates [Quine] |
8483 | Necessity is relative to context; it is what is assumed in an inquiry [Quine] |
13592 | Beliefs can be ascribed to machines [Quine] |