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Single Idea 14261

[filed under theme 7. Existence / C. Structure of Existence / 4. Ontological Dependence ]

Full Idea

An object 'weakly' depends upon another if it is ineliminably involved in one of its definitions; and it 'strongly' depends upon the other if it is ineliminably involved in all of its definitions.

Gist of Idea

There is 'weak' dependence in one definition, and 'strong' dependence in all the definitions

Source

Kit Fine (Ontological Dependence [1995], III)

Book Ref

-: 'Aristotelian Society' [], p.285

A Reaction

It is important to remember that a definition can be very long, and not just what might go into a dictionary.

Related Idea

Idea 14260 An object only essentially has a property if that property follows from every definition of the object [Fine,K]

The 17 ideas with the same theme [things that rely on other things for their existence]:

1699 A thing is prior to another if it implies its existence [Aristotle]
18366 Of interdependent things, the prior one causes the other's existence [Aristotle]
24057 What is prior is always potentially present in what is next in order [Aristotle]
11154 Prior things can exist without posterior things, but not vice versa [Aristotle]
17443 Many of us find Frege's claim that truths depend on one another an obscure idea [Heck on Frege]
17445 Parallelism is intuitive, so it is more fundamental than sameness of direction [Frege, by Heck]
17656 Being primitive or prior always depends on a constructional system [Goodman]
11919 Ontological dependence rests on essential connection, not necessary connection [Molnar]
11151 An object is dependent if its essence prevents it from existing without some other object [Fine,K]
14251 A natural modal account of dependence says x depends on y if y must exist when x does [Fine,K]
14257 An object depends on another if the second cannot be eliminated from the first's definition [Fine,K]
14254 Dependency is the real counterpart of one term defining another [Fine,K]
14261 There is 'weak' dependence in one definition, and 'strong' dependence in all the definitions [Fine,K]
12879 Independent objects can exist apart, and maybe even entirely alone [Simons]
14091 There may be a one-way direction of dependence among sets, and among natural numbers [Linnebo]
17327 Non-causal dependence is at present only dimly understood [Liggins]
17720 There's essential, modal, explanatory, conceptual, metaphysical and constitutive dependence [Jenkins, by PG]