Ideas of Bob Hale, by Theme

[British, fl. 2001, Professor at Glasgow Univerity.]

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1. Philosophy / E. Nature of Metaphysics / 1. Nature of Metaphysics
19275 You cannot understand what exists without understanding possibility and necessity
1. Philosophy / F. Analytic Philosophy / 5. Linguistic Analysis
10308 Questions about objects are questions about certain non-vacuous singular terms
2. Reason / D. Definition / 6. Definition by Essence
19291 A canonical defintion specifies the type of thing, and what distinguish this specimen
2. Reason / D. Definition / 12. Paraphrase
10314 An expression is a genuine singular term if it resists elimination by paraphrase
4. Formal Logic / D. Modal Logic ML / 7. Barcan Formula
19297 The two Barcan principles are easily proved in fairly basic modal logic
19301 With a negative free logic, we can dispense with the Barcan formulae
5. Theory of Logic / A. Overview of Logic / 7. Second-Order Logic
19296 If second-order variables range over sets, those are just objects; properties and relations aren't sets
5. Theory of Logic / C. Ontology of Logic / 4. Logic by Convention
19289 Maybe conventionalism applies to meaning, but not to the truth of propositions expressed
5. Theory of Logic / F. Referring in Logic / 1. Naming / d. Singular terms
10316 We should decide whether singular terms are genuine by their usage
10312 Often the same singular term does not ensure reliable inference
10313 Plenty of clear examples have singular terms with no ontological commitment
10322 If singular terms can't be language-neutral, then we face a relativity about their objects
5. Theory of Logic / H. Proof Systems / 4. Natural Deduction
19298 Unlike axiom proofs, natural deduction proofs needn't focus on logical truths and theorems
6. Mathematics / A. Nature of Mathematics / 3. Nature of Numbers / g. Real numbers
10632 The real numbers may be introduced by abstraction as ratios of quantities [Hale/Wright]
6. Mathematics / C. Sources of Mathematics / 6. Logicism / c. Neo-logicism
19295 Add Hume's principle to logic, to get numbers; arithmetic truths rest on the nature of the numbers
7. Existence / C. Structure of Existence / 5. Supervenience / a. Nature of supervenience
19281 Interesting supervenience must characterise the base quite differently from what supervenes on it
7. Existence / C. Structure of Existence / 7. Abstract/Concrete / a. Abstract/concrete
10512 The abstract/concrete distinction is based on what is perceivable, causal and located
10517 Colours and points seem to be both concrete and abstract
10520 Token-letters and token-words are concrete objects, type-letters and type-words abstract
10519 The abstract/concrete distinction is in the relations in the identity-criteria of object-names
7. Existence / C. Structure of Existence / 7. Abstract/Concrete / b. Levels of abstraction
10524 There is a hierarchy of abstraction, based on steps taken by equivalence relations
7. Existence / D. Theories of Reality / 8. Facts / c. Facts and truths
19278 There is no gap between a fact that p, and it is true that p; so we only have the truth-condtions for p
8. Modes of Existence / D. Universals / 1. Universals
10318 Realists take universals to be the referrents of both adjectives and of nouns
10521 If F can't have location, there is no problem of things having F in different locations
10511 It is doubtful if one entity, a universal, can be picked out by both predicates and abstract nouns
8. Modes of Existence / E. Nominalism / 1. Nominalism / c. Nominalism about abstracta
10310 Objections to Frege: abstracta are unknowable, non-independent, unstatable, unindividuated
9. Objects / A. Existence of Objects / 2. Abstract Objects / a. Nature of abstracta
10518 Shapes and directions are of something, but games and musical compositions are not
10513 Many abstract objects, such as chess, seem non-spatial, but are not atemporal
10514 If the mental is non-spatial but temporal, then it must be classified as abstract
10523 Being abstract is based on a relation between things which are spatially separated
9. Objects / A. Existence of Objects / 2. Abstract Objects / c. Modern abstracta
10307 The modern Fregean use of the term 'object' is much broader than the ordinary usage
9. Objects / A. Existence of Objects / 2. Abstract Objects / d. Problems with abstracta
10315 We can't believe in a 'whereabouts' because we ask 'what kind of object is it?'
9. Objects / C. Structure of Objects / 5. Composition of an Object
19302 If a chair could be made of slightly different material, that could lead to big changes
9. Objects / F. Identity among Objects / 1. Concept of Identity
10522 The relations featured in criteria of identity are always equivalence relations
9. Objects / F. Identity among Objects / 3. Relative Identity
10321 We sometimes apply identity without having a real criterion
10. Modality / A. Necessity / 2. Nature of Necessity
15086 Absolute necessity might be achievable either logically or metaphysically
10. Modality / A. Necessity / 3. Types of Necessity
8261 Maybe not-p is logically possible, but p is metaphysically necessary, so the latter is not absolute
15080 'Relative' necessity is just a logical consequence of some statements ('strong' if they are all true)
15081 A strong necessity entails a weaker one, but not conversely; possibilities go the other way
19286 'Absolute necessity' is when there is no restriction on the things which necessitate p
19288 Logical and metaphysical necessities differ in their vocabulary, and their underlying entities
19290 Absolute necessities are necessarily necessary
10. Modality / A. Necessity / 5. Metaphysical Necessity
15082 Metaphysical necessity says there is no possibility of falsehood
10. Modality / A. Necessity / 6. Logical Necessity
15085 'Broadly' logical necessities are derived (in a structure) entirely from the concepts
15088 Logical necessities are true in virtue of the nature of all logical concepts
19285 Logical necessity is something which is true, no matter what else is the case
19287 Maybe each type of logic has its own necessity, gradually becoming broader
10. Modality / C. Sources of Modality / 1. Sources of Necessity
12432 Explanation of necessity must rest on something necessary or something contingent
12434 Why is this necessary, and what is necessity in general; why is this necessary truth true, and why necessary?
12435 The explanation of a necessity can be by a truth (which may only happen to be a necessary truth)
19282 It seems that we cannot show that modal facts depend on non-modal facts
10. Modality / C. Sources of Modality / 3. Necessity by Convention
12433 If necessity rests on linguistic conventions, those are contingent, so there is no necessity
10. Modality / C. Sources of Modality / 4. Necessity from Concepts
15087 Conceptual necessities are made true by all concepts
12436 Concept-identities explain how we know necessities, not why they are necessary
10. Modality / C. Sources of Modality / 6. Necessity from Essence
19276 The big challenge for essentialist views of modality is things having necessary existence
19293 Essentialism doesn't explain necessity reductively; it explains all necessities in terms of a few basic natures
19294 If necessity derives from essences, how do we explain the necessary existence of essences?
10. Modality / E. Possible worlds / 1. Possible Worlds / a. Possible worlds
19279 What are these worlds, that being true in all of them makes something necessary?
10. Modality / E. Possible worlds / 1. Possible Worlds / e. Against possible worlds
19299 Possible worlds make every proposition true or false, which endorses classical logic
18. Thought / C. Content / 6. Broad Content
19300 The molecules may explain the water, but they are not what 'water' means