Modalities: Philosophical Essays (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9780195096576)

Based on her earlier ground-breaking axiomatization of quantified modal logic, the papers collected here by the distinguished philosopher Ruth Barcan Marcus cover much ground in the development of her thought, spanning from 1961 to 1990. The first essay here introduces themes initially viewed as iconoclastic, such as the necessity of identity, the directly referential role of proper names as "tags", the Barcan Formula about the interplay of possibility and existence, and alternative interpretations of quantification. Marcus also addresses the putative puzzles about substitutivity and about essentialism. The collection also includes influential essays on moral conflict, on belief and rationality, and on some historical figures. Many of her views have been incorporated into current theories, while others remain part of a continuing debate.

Author: Ruth Barcan Marcus
ISBN-10: 0195096576
ISBN-13: 9780195096576
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
Language: English
Published: 06/29/1995
Pages: 288
Format: Paperback
Weight: 0.89lbs
Size: 9.12h x 6.06w x 0.62d