The Routledge Handbook of Modality (Routledge Handbooks in Philosophy)

Modality - the question of what is possible and what is necessary - is a fundamental area of philosophy and philosophical research. The Routledge Handbook of Modality is an outstanding reference source to the key topics, problems and debates in this exciting subject and is the first collection of its kind. Comprising thirty-five chapters by a team of international contributors the Handbook is divided into seven clear parts:

• worlds and modality
• essentialism, ontological dependence, and modality
• modal anti-realism
• epistemology of modality
• modality in science
• modality in logic and mathematics
• modality in the history of philosophy.

Within these sections the central issues, debates and problems are examined, including possible worlds, essentialism, counterfactuals, ontological dependence, modal fictionalism, deflationism, the integration challenge, conceivability, a priori knowledge, laws of nature, natural kinds, and logical necessity.

The Routledge Handbook of Modality is essential reading for students and researchers in epistemology, metaphysics and philosophy of language. It will also be very useful for those in related fields in philosophy such as philosophy of mathematics, logic and philosophy of science.

Otávio Bueno is Professor of Philosophy and Cooper Senior Scholar in Arts and Sciences at the University of Miami, USA. He is co-author of Applying Mathematics: Immersion, Inference, Interpretation (2018), and editor in chief of Synthese and of the Synthese Library book series.

Scott A. Shalkowski is Senior Lecturer in Philosophy at the University of Leeds, UK. With Otávio Bueno he is an author of the forthcoming Routledge book Epistemology of Modality.