Modality

Abstract

AbstractThe philosophy of modality investigates necessity and possibility, and related notions — are they objective features of mind-independent reality? If so, are they irreducible, or can modal facts be explained in other terms? This book presents new work on modality by established leaders in the field and by up-and-coming philosophers. Between them, the chapters address fundamental questions concerning realism and anti-realism about modality, the nature and basis of facts about what is possible and what is necessary, the nature of modal knowledge, modal logic and its relations to necessary existence and to counterfactual reasoning. The general introduction locates the individual contributions in the wider context of the contemporary discussion of the metaphysics and epistemology of modality.