Single Idea 14580

[catalogued under 10. Modality / A. Necessity / 1. Types of Modality]

Full Idea

Dispositionality could be what gives us the idea of there being modality in the first place: that what is might not be, and what is not could be.

Gist of Idea

Dispositions may suggest modality to us - as what might not have been, and what could have been

Source

S.Mumford/R.Lill Anjum (Getting Causes from Powers [2011], 8.5)

Book Reference

Anjum,R.J./Mumford,S.: 'Getting Causes from Powers' [OUP 2011], p.183


A Reaction

Compare Williamson's suggestion that counterfactual thinking is the source of such things, which is a similar thought. I take it to be exactly correct.

Related Ideas

Idea 14579 Dispositionality is the core modality, with possibility and necessity as its extreme cases [Mumford/Anjum]

Idea 14531 Rather than define counterfactuals using necessity, maybe necessity is a special case of counterfactuals [Williamson, by Hale/Hoffmann,A]