Ideas from 'Practical Necessity' by Bernard Williams [1982], by Theme Structure

[found in 'Moral Luck: Papers 1973-1980' by Williams,Bernard [CUP 1981,0-521-28691-3]].

green numbers give full details    |     back to texts     |     unexpand this idea


10. Modality / A. Necessity / 10. Impossibility
Necessity implies possibility, but in experience it matters which comes first
                        Full Idea: Any notion of necessity must carry with it a corresponding notion of impossibility, …but it can make a difference which one of them presents itself first and more naturally.
                        From: Bernard Williams (Practical Necessity [1982], p.127)
                        A reaction: I like this because it connects modality with experience, rather than with formal logic. It seems right that in life we immediately see either a necessity or an impossibility, and inferring the other case is an afterthought.