Charles S. Chihara
- Published in print:
- 2001
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780199246557
- eISBN:
- 9780191697609
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199246557.003.0010
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Logic/Philosophy of Mathematics, Metaphysics/Epistemology
This chapter discusses the implications of the modal theory developed in this book in terms of mathematics. It focuses on Mathematical Realism, because its own position regarding the ontology of ...
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This chapter discusses the implications of the modal theory developed in this book in terms of mathematics. It focuses on Mathematical Realism, because its own position regarding the ontology of mathematics can only be appreciated by way of contrast with the metaphysical doctrines it rejects. Mathematical Realism is the view that mathematical objects exist and that mathematical terms, such as five, and the null set, refer to these mathematical objects. It should be noted, however, that Mathematical Realists do not always insist that all the standard mathematical terms refer.Less
This chapter discusses the implications of the modal theory developed in this book in terms of mathematics. It focuses on Mathematical Realism, because its own position regarding the ontology of mathematics can only be appreciated by way of contrast with the metaphysical doctrines it rejects. Mathematical Realism is the view that mathematical objects exist and that mathematical terms, such as five, and the null set, refer to these mathematical objects. It should be noted, however, that Mathematical Realists do not always insist that all the standard mathematical terms refer.
Robert Stalnaker
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- October 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780691147123
- eISBN:
- 9781400842292
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691147123.003.0004
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Metaphysics/Epistemology
This chapter explores the dialectic of the interaction between modal semantics and modal metaphysics. It begins by looking at three examples of places where semantic and substantive issues interact, ...
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This chapter explores the dialectic of the interaction between modal semantics and modal metaphysics. It begins by looking at three examples of places where semantic and substantive issues interact, and where it is contentious whether a problem calls for a semantic or a metaphysical solution. The first example is an argument from a semantic premise to a metaphysical conclusion that is fallacious; the second is a case of a semantic decision with a metaphysical motivation. The third example is a puzzle where it is controversial whether the puzzle should have a semantic or a metaphysical solution. In this case, it is argued that the metaphysical response is unnecessary—the puzzle is best dissolved on semantic grounds. After discussing these three examples, the chapter considers a specific semantic question about how the quantifiers should work in our modal quantification theory and the way that this question interacts with metaphysical questions about the nature of the modal reality that the language aims to describe. This will lead us to a consideration of more general questions about ontological commitment.Less
This chapter explores the dialectic of the interaction between modal semantics and modal metaphysics. It begins by looking at three examples of places where semantic and substantive issues interact, and where it is contentious whether a problem calls for a semantic or a metaphysical solution. The first example is an argument from a semantic premise to a metaphysical conclusion that is fallacious; the second is a case of a semantic decision with a metaphysical motivation. The third example is a puzzle where it is controversial whether the puzzle should have a semantic or a metaphysical solution. In this case, it is argued that the metaphysical response is unnecessary—the puzzle is best dissolved on semantic grounds. After discussing these three examples, the chapter considers a specific semantic question about how the quantifiers should work in our modal quantification theory and the way that this question interacts with metaphysical questions about the nature of the modal reality that the language aims to describe. This will lead us to a consideration of more general questions about ontological commitment.
Sandra Visser and Thomas Williams
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780195309386
- eISBN:
- 9780199852123
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195309386.003.0011
- Subject:
- Religion, Philosophy of Religion
This chapter offers a systematic account of the theory of modality that Anselm employs in his discussion of the problem of foreknowledge and freedom. It begins by examining his conception of ...
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This chapter offers a systematic account of the theory of modality that Anselm employs in his discussion of the problem of foreknowledge and freedom. It begins by examining his conception of necessity. He identifies two different kinds of necessity: antecedent necessity, when the causal relation holds between concrete individuals, and subsequent necessity, when the causal relation holds between concepts. The discussion then shows how he uses his modal theory in his discussion of the problem of freedom and foreknowledge. It clarifies some of the distinctive features of Anselm's modal theory by examining it in light of contemporary discussions of modality.Less
This chapter offers a systematic account of the theory of modality that Anselm employs in his discussion of the problem of foreknowledge and freedom. It begins by examining his conception of necessity. He identifies two different kinds of necessity: antecedent necessity, when the causal relation holds between concrete individuals, and subsequent necessity, when the causal relation holds between concepts. The discussion then shows how he uses his modal theory in his discussion of the problem of freedom and foreknowledge. It clarifies some of the distinctive features of Anselm's modal theory by examining it in light of contemporary discussions of modality.
Ulrich Meyer
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- January 2014
- ISBN:
- 9780199599332
- eISBN:
- 9780191760648
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199599332.003.0001
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Philosophy of Science
This introductory chapter presents the three main views about the nature of time. Temporal substantivalism claims that instants of time are metaphysically basic entities that form a one-dimensional ...
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This introductory chapter presents the three main views about the nature of time. Temporal substantivalism claims that instants of time are metaphysically basic entities that form a one-dimensional temporal manifold. Relationism about time argues that times are to be abstracted from temporally ordered events or temporal parts. Modal theories of time treat instants as indices at which sentences or propositions take truth values.Less
This introductory chapter presents the three main views about the nature of time. Temporal substantivalism claims that instants of time are metaphysically basic entities that form a one-dimensional temporal manifold. Relationism about time argues that times are to be abstracted from temporally ordered events or temporal parts. Modal theories of time treat instants as indices at which sentences or propositions take truth values.
Frank Griffel
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- September 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780195331622
- eISBN:
- 9780199867998
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195331622.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Theology, Islam
Al-Ghazali (d. 1111) is one of the most important theologians, philosophers, and Sufis of Islam. Born around 1056 in northeastern Iran, he became the holder of the most prestigious academic post in ...
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Al-Ghazali (d. 1111) is one of the most important theologians, philosophers, and Sufis of Islam. Born around 1056 in northeastern Iran, he became the holder of the most prestigious academic post in Islamic theology in Baghdad, only to renounce that position and teach at small schools in the provinces for no money. His contributions to Islamic scholarship range from responding to the challenges of Aristotelian philosophy to creating a new type of mysticism in Islam, and integrating both these traditions—falsafa and Sufism—into the Sunni mainstream. Using the most authoritative sources, including reports of his students, his contemporaries, and his own letters, this book reconstructs every stage in al-Ghazali’s turbulent career. The al-Ghazali that emerges still offers many surprises, particularly on his motives for leaving Baghdad and the nature of his “seclusion” afterwards. In its close study of al-Ghazali’s cosmology—meaning, how God creates things and events in the world, how human acts relate to God’s power, and how the universe is structured—the book reveals the significant philosophical influence on al-Ghazali. His cosmology has always been one of the most challenging aspects of his work. This book shows how al-Ghazali created a new discourse on cosmology that moved away from concerns held earlier among Muslim theologians and Arab philosophers. This new cosmology was structured to provide a framework for the pursuit of the natural sciences and a basis for science and philosophy in Islam to continue to flourish beyond the 12th century.Less
Al-Ghazali (d. 1111) is one of the most important theologians, philosophers, and Sufis of Islam. Born around 1056 in northeastern Iran, he became the holder of the most prestigious academic post in Islamic theology in Baghdad, only to renounce that position and teach at small schools in the provinces for no money. His contributions to Islamic scholarship range from responding to the challenges of Aristotelian philosophy to creating a new type of mysticism in Islam, and integrating both these traditions—falsafa and Sufism—into the Sunni mainstream. Using the most authoritative sources, including reports of his students, his contemporaries, and his own letters, this book reconstructs every stage in al-Ghazali’s turbulent career. The al-Ghazali that emerges still offers many surprises, particularly on his motives for leaving Baghdad and the nature of his “seclusion” afterwards. In its close study of al-Ghazali’s cosmology—meaning, how God creates things and events in the world, how human acts relate to God’s power, and how the universe is structured—the book reveals the significant philosophical influence on al-Ghazali. His cosmology has always been one of the most challenging aspects of his work. This book shows how al-Ghazali created a new discourse on cosmology that moved away from concerns held earlier among Muslim theologians and Arab philosophers. This new cosmology was structured to provide a framework for the pursuit of the natural sciences and a basis for science and philosophy in Islam to continue to flourish beyond the 12th century.
Ulrich Meyer
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- January 2014
- ISBN:
- 9780199599332
- eISBN:
- 9780191760648
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199599332.003.0013
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Philosophy of Science
This concluding chapter briefly sums up the main arguments presented in the book, with a particular focus on the relative merits of spatial and modal accounts of time.
This concluding chapter briefly sums up the main arguments presented in the book, with a particular focus on the relative merits of spatial and modal accounts of time.
