Sortal concepts and modality
What is the modal significance of sortal concepts? It is generally accepted that sortal concepts provide persistence conditions with modal implications that are de re, and not merely de dicto. I do not think that this important assumption has received the scrutiny that it deserves. In this paper, I...
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| Format: | Monograph |
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University of Nottingham
2013
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| Online Access: | https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/2170/ |
| _version_ | 1848790724637622272 |
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| author | Mackie, Penelope |
| author_facet | Mackie, Penelope |
| author_sort | Mackie, Penelope |
| building | Nottingham Research Data Repository |
| collection | Online Access |
| description | What is the modal significance of sortal concepts? It is generally accepted that sortal concepts provide persistence conditions with modal implications that are de re, and not merely de dicto. I do not think that this important assumption has received the scrutiny that it deserves. In this paper, I examine the contrast between a ‘pure de dicto’ theory of the persistence conditions associated with sortal concepts and a variety of de re theories, both essentialist and non-essentialist. I conclude that although there is a defensible argument against the pure de dicto theory, it has two interesting implications. First, the argument lends no support to an essentialist version of the de re theory. Secondly, it appears to support the rejection of the pure de dicto theory only by a theorist who is also a pluralist about coincidence. Hence it appears to provide no justification for the rejection of the pure de dicto theory on the part of a contingent identity theorist. |
| first_indexed | 2025-11-14T18:17:10Z |
| format | Monograph |
| id | nottingham-2170 |
| institution | University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus |
| institution_category | Local University |
| last_indexed | 2025-11-14T18:17:10Z |
| publishDate | 2013 |
| publisher | University of Nottingham |
| recordtype | eprints |
| repository_type | Digital Repository |
| spelling | nottingham-21702020-05-04T20:20:34Z https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/2170/ Sortal concepts and modality Mackie, Penelope What is the modal significance of sortal concepts? It is generally accepted that sortal concepts provide persistence conditions with modal implications that are de re, and not merely de dicto. I do not think that this important assumption has received the scrutiny that it deserves. In this paper, I examine the contrast between a ‘pure de dicto’ theory of the persistence conditions associated with sortal concepts and a variety of de re theories, both essentialist and non-essentialist. I conclude that although there is a defensible argument against the pure de dicto theory, it has two interesting implications. First, the argument lends no support to an essentialist version of the de re theory. Secondly, it appears to support the rejection of the pure de dicto theory only by a theorist who is also a pluralist about coincidence. Hence it appears to provide no justification for the rejection of the pure de dicto theory on the part of a contingent identity theorist. University of Nottingham 2013 Monograph NonPeerReviewed Mackie, Penelope (2013) Sortal concepts and modality. Working Paper. University of Nottingham, Nottingham. (Unpublished) sortals persistence essentialism de re modality coincidence |
| spellingShingle | sortals persistence essentialism de re modality coincidence Mackie, Penelope Sortal concepts and modality |
| title | Sortal concepts and modality |
| title_full | Sortal concepts and modality |
| title_fullStr | Sortal concepts and modality |
| title_full_unstemmed | Sortal concepts and modality |
| title_short | Sortal concepts and modality |
| title_sort | sortal concepts and modality |
| topic | sortals persistence essentialism de re modality coincidence |
| url | https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/2170/ |