Contingent Identity

Philosophy Compass 8 (5):486-495 (2013)
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Abstract

It is widely held that if an object a is identical (or non-identical) to an object b, then it is necessary that a is identical (non-identical) to b. This view is supported an argument from Leibniz's Law and a popular conception of de re modality. On the other hand, there are good reasons to allow for contingent identity. Various alternative accounts of de re modality have been developed to achieve this kind of generality, and to explain what is wrong with the argument from Leibniz's Law.

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10.1111/phc3.12028

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Wolfgang Schwarz
University of Edinburgh

Citations of this work

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Counteridenticals.Alexander W. Kocurek - 2018 - The Philosophical Review 127 (3):323-369.
Identity in Mares-Goldblatt Models for Quantified Relevant Logic.Shawn Standefer - 2021 - Journal of Philosophical Logic 50 (6):1389-1415.

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