Single Idea 9207

[catalogued under 19. Language / C. Assigning Meanings / 8. Possible Worlds Semantics]

Full Idea

The content of a sentence is often identified with the set of possible worlds in which it is true, where the worlds are metaphysically possible. But this has the awkward consequence that all metaphysically necessary truths will have the same content.

Gist of Idea

If sentence content is all worlds where it is true, all necessary truths have the same content!

Source

Kit Fine (Intro to 'Modality and Tense' [2005], p.10)

Book Reference

Fine,Kit: 'Modality and Tense' [OUP 2005], p.10


A Reaction

I've never understood how the content of a sentence could be a vast set of worlds, so I am delighted to see this proposal be torpedoed. That doesn't mean that truth conditions across possible worlds is not a promising notion.