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Single Idea 15235

[filed under theme 10. Modality / C. Sources of Modality / 4. Necessity from Concepts ]

Full Idea

When discoveries about the nature of a thing or substance explain or justify our holding that certain properties are its nominal essence, then the diachronic process of meaning development creates a genuine conceptual necessity.

Clarification

'diachronic' means over a period of time

Gist of Idea

There is a conceptual necessity when properties become a standard part of a nominal essence

Source

Harré,R./Madden,E.H. (Causal Powers [1975], 1.VI)

Book Ref

Harré,R/Madden,E.H.: 'Causal Powers: A Theory of Natural Necessity' [Blackwell 1975], p.22


A Reaction

This sounds like a pretty good account of one of the bases for conceptual necessity. They seem to think that conceptual necessity rests on a mixture of real and nominal essence (but then some of the nominal features are also real).

Related Ideas

Idea 15233 If natural necessity is used to include or exclude some predicate, the predicate is conceptually necessary [Harré/Madden]

Idea 12531 Nominal Essence is the abstract idea to which a name is attached [Locke]