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Single Idea 11969

[filed under theme 9. Objects / C. Structure of Objects / 7. Substratum ]

Full Idea

The use of models is so natural to logicians ...that they sometimes take seriously what are only artefacts of the model, and adopt a bare particular metaphysics. Why? Because the model so nicely separates the bare particular from its clothing.

Gist of Idea

Models nicely separate particulars from their clothing, and logicians often accept that metaphysically

Source

David Kaplan (Transworld Heir Lines [1967], p.97)

Book Ref

'The Possible and the Actual', ed/tr. Loux,Michael J. [Cornell 1979], p.97


A Reaction

See also Idea 11970. I think this observation is correct, and incredibly important. We need to keep quite separate the notion of identity in conceptual space from our notion of identity in the actual world. The first is bare, the second fat.

Related Idea

Idea 11970 Logicians like their entities to exhibit a maximum degree of purity [Kaplan]


The 13 ideas from David Kaplan

Indexicals have a 'character' (the standing meaning), and a 'content' (truth-conditions for one context) [Kaplan, by Macià/Garcia-Carpentiro]
'Content' gives the standard modal profile, and 'character' gives rules for a context [Kaplan, by Schroeter]
Are causal descriptions part of the causal theory of reference, or are they just metasemantic? [Kaplan, by Schaffer,J]
For Russell, expressions dependent on contingent circumstances must be eliminated [Kaplan]
'Haecceitism' says that sameness or difference of individuals is independent of appearances [Kaplan]
'Haecceitism' is common thisness under dissimilarity, or distinct thisnesses under resemblance [Kaplan]
If quantification into modal contexts is legitimate, that seems to imply some form of haecceitism [Kaplan]
Unusual people may have no counterparts, or several [Kaplan]
Essence is a transworld heir line, rather than a collection of properties [Kaplan]
Sentences might have the same sense when logically equivalent - or never have the same sense [Kaplan]
Models nicely separate particulars from their clothing, and logicians often accept that metaphysically [Kaplan]
Logicians like their entities to exhibit a maximum degree of purity [Kaplan]
The simplest solution to transworld identification is to adopt bare particulars [Kaplan]