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Full Idea
In cases of 'de re' modality, it is a particular thing that has the property essentially or accidentally; where the modality attaches to the proposition, it is 'de dicto' - it is the whole truth that all bachelors are unmarried that is necessary.
Clarification
'De re' means concerning the thing; 'de dicto' means concerning the statement
Gist of Idea
'De re' modality is about things themselves, 'de dicto' modality is about propositions
Source
Joseph Melia (Modality [2003], Ch.1)
Book Ref
Melia,Joseph: 'Modality' [Acumen 2003], p.2
A Reaction
This seems to me one of the most important distinctions in metaphysics (as practised by analytical philosophers, who like distinctions). The first type leads off into the ontology, the second type veers towards epistemology.
Related Idea
Idea 13810 The source of de dicto necessity is not concepts, but the actual properties of the thing [Forbes,G]
| 14641 | A deduction is necessary if the major (but not the minor) premise is also necessary [Aristotle] |
| 8481 | The de dicto-de re modality distinction dates back to Abelard [Abelard, by Orenstein] |
| 14645 | To be necessarily greater than 7 is not a trait of 7, but depends on how 7 is referred to [Quine] |
| 14975 | A de dicto necessity is true in all worlds, but not necessarily of the same thing in each world [Cresswell] |
| 14642 | Expressing modality about a statement is 'de dicto'; expressing it of property-possession is 'de re' [Plantinga] |
| 14643 | 'De dicto' true and 'de re' false is possible, and so is 'de dicto' false and 'de re' true [Plantinga] |
| 14649 | Can we find an appropriate 'de dicto' paraphrase for any 'de re' proposition? [Plantinga] |
| 14652 | 'De re' modality is as clear as 'de dicto' modality, because they are logically equivalent [Plantinga] |
| 16079 | De re modal predicates are ambiguous [Lewis, by Rudder Baker] |
| 14223 | De dicto necessity has linguistic entities as their source, so it is a type of de re necessity [Shalkowski] |
| 12003 | De re modal formulae, unlike de dicto, are sensitive to transworld identities [Forbes,G] |
| 15420 | De re modality seems to apply to objects a concept intended for sentences [Burgess] |
| 15175 | Evaluation of de dicto modalities does not depend on the identity of its objects [Sidelle] |
| 5732 | 'De re' modality is about things themselves, 'de dicto' modality is about propositions [Melia] |