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Single Idea 6082

[filed under theme 7. Existence / D. Theories of Reality / 3. Reality ]

Full Idea

Whether my body weight is necessary or contingent makes no difference at all to my causal powers, so modality is epiphenomenal; if you took causal potential as a test of reality you would have to declare modes unreal.

Gist of Idea

If causal power is the test for reality, that will exclude necessities and possibilities

Source

Colin McGinn (Logical Properties [2000], Ch.4)

Book Ref

McGinn,Colin: 'Logical Properties' [OUP 2003], p.86


A Reaction

We could try analysing modality into causal terms, as Lewis proposes with quantification across worlds, or as Quine proposes by reduction to natural regularities. I am not sure what it would mean to declare that modes are 'real'.