Doubting, Thinking, and Possible Worlds

Philosophy Research Archives 9:337-346 (1983)
  Copy   BIBTEX

Abstract

Kripke has noted that possible worlds are stipulated, not discovered, and that the stipulation of these worlds allows us to separate accidental from essential properties. In this paper I argue that possible worlds theory gives us an important tool for analyzing what Descartes is doing in the Meditations. The first Meditation becomes a thought experiment in which possible realities are stipulated in a search for one or more essential properties. Viewing the doubt in this manner sheds new light on the cogito and sum res cogitans and shows the limitations of some contemporary discussion of the cogito, namely, the positions taken by Ayer and Hintikka.

Links

PhilArchive



    Upload a copy of this work     Papers currently archived: 90,616

External links

Setup an account with your affiliations in order to access resources via your University's proxy server

Through your library

Similar books and articles

Doubting, Thinking, and Possible Worlds.Daniel A. Putman - 1983 - Philosophy Research Archives 9:337-346.
The Ontology of Impossible Worlds.David A. Vander Laan - 1997 - Notre Dame Journal of Formal Logic 38 (4):597-620.
Possible Worlds of History.Ilkka Lähteenmäki - 2018 - Journal of the Philosophy of History 12 (1):164-182.
Impossible Worlds.Mark Jago - 2013 - Noûs 47 (3):713-728.
Haecceitism, anti-haecceitism, and possible worlds: A case study.Brad Skow - 2008 - Philosophical Quarterly 58 (230):97-107.
What are impossible worlds?Barak Krakauer - 2013 - Philosophical Studies 165 (3):989-1007.
Impossible Worlds.Daniel P. Nolan - 2013 - Philosophy Compass 8 (4):360-372.
A classically-based theory of impossible worlds.Edward N. Zalta - 1997 - Notre Dame Journal of Formal Logic 38 (4):640-660.
Are physical properties dispositions?Edward Wilson Averill - 1990 - Philosophy of Science 57 (1):118-132.

Analytics

Added to PP
2017-02-15

Downloads
16 (#774,858)

6 months
2 (#670,035)

Historical graph of downloads
How can I increase my downloads?

Citations of this work

No citations found.

Add more citations

References found in this work

No references found.

Add more references