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Ideas for '67: Platonic Questions', 'Essence and Modality' and 'Metaphysical Foundations of Natural Science'

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4 ideas

10. Modality / C. Sources of Modality / 1. Sources of Necessity
11166 The subject of a proposition need not be the source of its necessity [Fine,K]
     Full Idea: We naturally suppose, if a subject-predicate proposition is necessary, that the subject of the proposition is the source of the necessity. But that singleton 2 contains 2 is necessary, whether the number or the set is the subject of the proposition.
     From: Kit Fine (Essence and Modality [1994], p. 9)
     A reaction: A very nice addition to his general attack on the idea that essence should be accounted for in terms of his necessity. He asks a beautifully simple question: for each necessity that we accept, what is the source of that necessity?
10. Modality / C. Sources of Modality / 4. Necessity from Concepts
11169 Conceptual necessities rest on the nature of all concepts [Fine,K]
     Full Idea: Conceptual (and logical) necessities can be taken to be the propositions which are true in virtue of the nature of all concepts (or just the logical concepts).
     From: Kit Fine (Essence and Modality [1994], p. 9-10)
     A reaction: The idea that something might be true simply because of the nature of a concept sounds good, and a slightly better formulation than traditional accounts of analytic truth.
10. Modality / C. Sources of Modality / 6. Necessity from Essence
11162 Socrates is necessarily distinct from the Eiffel Tower, but that is not part of his essence [Fine,K]
     Full Idea: It is necessary that Socrates and the Eiffel Tower be distinct. But it is not essential to Socrates that he be distinct from the Tower, for there is nothing in his nature which connects him in any special way to it.
     From: Kit Fine (Essence and Modality [1994], p. 5)
     A reaction: I find this simple argument very persuasive in separating out necessary facts about an object from the essence of that object.
11168 Metaphysical necessities are true in virtue of the nature of all objects [Fine,K]
     Full Idea: The metaphysically necessary truths can be identified with the propositions which are true in virtue of the nature of all objects whatever.
     From: Kit Fine (Essence and Modality [1994], p. 9)
     A reaction: This is part of Fine's proposal that necessities are derived from the essences or natures of things, which view I find very congenial.