Ground and modality. Issue 6 (2nd July 2020)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Torza, Alessandro
• Is Part Of: Inquiry. Volume 63:Issue 6(2020)
• Page Start: 563
• Page End: 585
• Publication Date: 2020-07-02
• Subjects: Necessitism -- grounding necessitarianism -- actualism -- modal logic -- existence -- quantification -- natural properties -- totality; Philosophy -- Periodicals; Social sciences -- Philosophy -- Periodicals; Philosophy -- Periodicals; Social Sciences -- Periodicals; Electronic journals; Philosophie -- Périodiques; Sciences sociales -- Philosophie -- Périodiques; 105
• DOI: 10.1080/0020174X.2020.1758769
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0020-174X

Abstract

ABSTRACT: The grounding relation is routinely characterized by means of logical postulates. The aim of this paper is twofold. First, I show that a subset of those postulates is incompatible with a minimal characterization of metaphysical modality. Then I consider a number of ways for reconciling ground with modality. The simplest and most elegant solution consists in adopting serious actualism, which is best captured within a first-order modal language with predicate abstraction governed by negative free logic. I also explore a number of alternative strategies by revising the ground-theoretic postulates, while keeping the modal ones fixed. As I argue, each of those strategies is either unviable, highly contentious, or insufficiently motivated.