Combining Texts

Ideas for 'Commentary on 'De Anima'', 'Nature's Metaphysics' and 'A Slim Book about Narrow Content'

unexpand these ideas     |    start again     |     choose another area for these texts

display all the ideas for this combination of texts

---

2 ideas

10. Modality / D. Knowledge of Modality / 4. Conceivable as Possible / a. Conceivable as possible

9505	Empiricist saw imaginability and possibility as close, but now they seem remote [Bird]
	Full Idea: Whereas the link between imaginability and possibility was once held, under the influence of empiricism, to be close, it is now widely held to be very remote.
	From: Alexander Bird (Nature's Metaphysics [2007], 8)
	A reaction: Tim Williamson nicely argues the opposite - that assessment of possibility is an adjunct of our ability to think counterfactually, which is precisely an operation of the imagination. Big error is possible, but how else could we do it?

10. Modality / D. Knowledge of Modality / 4. Conceivable as Possible / b. Conceivable but impossible

3106	If claims of metaphysical necessity are based on conceivability, we should be cautious [Segal]
	Full Idea: Since conceivability is the chief method of assessing the claims of metaphysical necessity, I think such claims are incautious.
	From: Gabriel M.A. Segal (A Slim Book about Narrow Content [2000], 1.6)