more from Simon Blackburn

Single Idea 14529

[catalogued under 10. Modality / C. Sources of Modality / 1. Sources of Necessity]

Full Idea

Blackburn asks of what theorists propose as underlying the necessity of a proposition, the question whether they themselves are conceived as obtaining of necessity or merely contingently.

Gist of Idea

If something underlies a necessity, is that underlying thing necessary or contingent?

Source

report of Simon Blackburn (Morals and Modals [1987], p.120-1) by Bob Hale/ Aviv Hoffmann - Introduction to 'Modality' 1

Book Reference

'Modality', ed/tr. Hale,B/Hoffman,A [OUP 2010], p.6


A Reaction

I've seen a reply to this somewhere: I think the thought was that a necessity wouldn't be any less necessary if it had a contingent source, any more than the father of a world champion boxer has to be a world champion boxer.

Related Idea

Idea 15103 Blackburn fails to show that the necessary cannot be grounded in the contingent [Cameron]