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Full Idea
An expansive friend of the controversial entities who says they all exist may be called an 'allist'; a tough desert-dweller who says that none of them exist may be called a 'noneist'.
Gist of Idea
'Allists' embrace the existence of all controversial entities; 'noneists' reject all but the obvious ones
Source
David Lewis (Noneism or Allism? [1990], p.152)
Book Ref
Lewis,David: 'Papers in Metaphysics and Epistemology' [CUP 1999], p.152
A Reaction
Lewis gives examples of the obvious and the controversial entities. Lewis implies that he himself is in between. The word 'desert' is a reference to Quine.
15532 | 'Allists' embrace the existence of all controversial entities; 'noneists' reject all but the obvious ones [Lewis] |
15533 | We can quantify over fictions by quantifying for real over their names [Lewis] |
15534 | We could quantify over impossible objects - as bundles of properties [Lewis] |
15535 | We can't accept a use of 'existence' that says only some of the things there are actually exist [Lewis] |