Actuality, Possibility, and Worlds (Paperback)

Prof Alexander R. Pruss

ISBN 10: 1441142045 / ISBN 13: 9781441142047

Published by Continuum Publishing Corporation, New York, 2011

About this Item

Paperback. Actuality, Possibility and Worlds is an exploration of the Aristotelian account that sees possibilities as grounded in causal powers. On his way to that account, Pruss surveys a number of historical approaches and argues that logicist approaches to possibility are implausible.The notion of possible worlds appears to be useful for many purposes, such as the analysis of counterfactuals or elucidating the nature of propositions and properties. This usefulness of possible worlds makes for a second general question: Are there any possible worlds and, if so, what are they? Are they concrete universes as David Lewis thinks, Platonic abstracta as per Robert M. Adams and Alvin Plantinga, or maybe linguistic or mathematical constructs such as Heller thinks? Or is perhaps Leibniz right in thinking that possibilia are not on par with actualities and that abstracta can only exist in a mind, so that possible worlds are ideas in the mind of God? An exploration of the Aristotelian account that sees possibilities as grounded in causal powers. It surveys a number of historical approaches and argues that logicist approaches to possibility are implausible. Shipping may be from our Sydney, NSW warehouse or from our UK or US warehouse, depending on stock availability.

Seller Inventory # 9781441142047

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Actuality, Possibility, and Worlds (Paperback)
• Publisher: Continuum Publishing Corporation, New York
• Publication Date: 2011
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1441142045
• ISBN 13: 9781441142047
• Binding: Paperback
• Condition: new

About this title

Synopsis

Book Description: Actuality, Possibility and Worlds is an exploration of the Aristotelian account that sees possibilities as grounded in causal powers. On his way to that account, Pruss surveys a number of historical approaches and argues that standard accounts of possibility or necessity are implausible.

The notion of possible worlds is useful for many purposes, such as the analysis of counterfactuals or accounting for supervenience. This usefulness of possible worlds makes for the question: Are there any possible worlds and, if so, what are they? Are they concrete universes as David Lewis thinks, Platonic abstracta as per Robert M. Adams and Alvin Plantinga, or maybe linguistic or mathematical constructs such as Heller thinks? Or is perhaps Leibniz right in thinking that possibilia are not on par with actualities and that abstracta can only exist in a mind, so that possible worlds are ideas in the mind of God?

About the Author

Alexander R. Pruss is Associate Professor of Philosophy at Baylor University, TX, USA. He has PhDs in both Philosophy as well as Mathematics and is the author of The Principle of Sufficient Reason: A Reassessment (CUP, 2006) and co-editor, with Richard M. Gale, of The Existence of God (Ashgate, 2003).