About this topic
Summary | In philosophical contexts, the study of modality is primarily the study of necessity and possibility. Sometimes this is expressed by talking about possible worlds, but this is to a certain extent just a façon de parler. In metaphysics, we are interested in the nature of the modal space -- are the so called possible worlds merely conventional or are they concrete, as modal realism would have it? Whatever the nature of the modal space, questions remain about the status of the different varieties of modality, and our epistemic access to modality. One central topic in recent literature concerns the ground of modal truths, that is, in virtue of what is something necessary? This is also linked to essentialism and de re modality: can we explain transworld identity in terms of essential properties, or perhaps even ground modal truths to essentialist truths? |
Key works | Some of the most important discussion starters regarding modality include Armstrong 1989, Fine 1994, Forbes 1985, Hale 1996, Kripke 1980, Lewis 1986, Lewis 1973, and Plantinga 1974. Some significant early work (e.g. by Adams, Chisholm, Hintikka, Kripke, Kaplan, Lewis, Plantinga, Quine, Stalnaker) on modality has been collected in volumes such as Linsky 1971, Loux 1979, and Tooley 1999. Many classic papers are also included in Plantinga & Davidson 2003, Stalnaker 2003, and Fine 2005. The contemporary literature is enormous, some important contributions are Lowe 1998, Soames 2002, Williamson 2007, and Jubien 2009. For modal epistemology in particular, Gendler & Hawthorne 2002 is an excellent resource. |
Introductions | Chihara 1998; Divers 2002; Girle 2003; Hale & Hoffmann 2009; Melia 2003; Vaidya 2007. |
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Related categories
Subcategories: See also:
De Re Modality (686 | 9)
Counterpart Theory (142)
Haecceitism (87)
Essence and Essentialism* (1,119)
De Re Modality, Misc (179)
Varieties of Modality (936 | 20)
Epistemic Possibility* (124)
Conceptual Necessity (36)
Logical Necessity (151)
Metaphysical Necessity (400)
Nomological Necessity (184)
Theories of Modality (372 | 48)
Modal Epistemology (771 | 27)
Modal Error (11)
Modal Intuition (38)
Modal Empiricism (59)
Modal Epistemology, Misc (112)
Modal Rationalism (81)
Modal Skepticism (65)
Thought Experiments* (555)
Possible Worlds (1,005 | 118)
Actualism and Possibilism* (174)
Modal Ersatizism (79)
Modal Fictionalism (63)
Modal Realism (338)
Possible World Semantics* (382)
Impossible Worlds (166)
Possible Worlds, Misc (241)
- Modal and Intensional Logic (2,767 | 1,417)
- Modal Expressions (422 | 75)
- Hume: Modality (30)
- Kant: Modality (175)
- Spinoza: Modality (18)
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