Single Idea 13717

[catalogued under 10. Modality / E. Possible worlds / 3. Transworld Objects / a. Transworld identity]

Full Idea

There is no problem of transworld identification with de dicto modal sentence, for their evaluation does not require taking an individual from one possible world and reidentifying it in another.

Gist of Idea

Transworld identity is not a problem in de dicto sentences, which needn't identify an individual

Source

Theodore Sider (Logic for Philosophy [2010], 9.2)

Book Reference

Sider,Theodore: 'Logic for Philosophy' [OUP 2010], p.229


A Reaction

If 'de dicto' is about the sentence and 'de re' is about the object (Idea 5732), how do you evaluate the sentence without at least some notion of the object to which it refers. Nec the Prime Minister chairs the cabinet. Could a poached egg do the job?

Related Ideas

Idea 5732 'De re' modality is about things themselves, 'de dicto' modality is about propositions [Melia]

Idea 12003 De re modal formulae, unlike de dicto, are sensitive to transworld identities [Forbes,G]