Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item:
http://hdl.handle.net/11375/13816
Title: | The modal realism of David Lewis |
Authors: | Sullivan, Andrew |
Advisor: | Vorobej, M. |
Department: | Philosophy |
Keywords: | Philosophy;Philosophy |
Publication Date: | Sep-1996 |
Abstract: | <p>It seems everyone who encounters David Lewis's modal real ism finds it utterly strange. I attempt to show that it is strange because it expands our onto logy unnecessarily.</p> <p>I begin by situating Lewis in the tradition of understanding modality with the help of possible worlds. I go on to indicate the internal tensions which arise under Lewis's view when we consider sane kinds of perfectly normal modal discourse. T try to show that the problem comes from an understanding of existence which is quite common in analytic philosophy. I then suggest a way of understanding modal language which finds its inspiration in the writings of st Thomas Aquinas, Ludwig Wittgenstein, and Donald Davidson.</p> |
URI: | http://hdl.handle.net/11375/13816 |
Identifier: | opendissertations/8646 9661 4865465 |
Appears in Collections: | Open Access Dissertations and Theses |
Files in This Item:
File | Size | Format | |
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fulltext.pdf | 4.32 MB | Adobe PDF | View/Open |
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