Counterpart Theory

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  • Created by: A. Person
  • Created on: 16-05-17 16:32
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  • Counterpart Theory
    • How can one individual exist in multiple worlds??
      • Other worlds have our counterparts.
        • So, other worlds represent individuals through individuals that are relevantly similar.
    • Abstractism
      • Linguistic version... different english sentences which mention H by name, or a description that picks out Humphrey?
      • Taps into idea that de re modality deals w/ the object in question!
        • Kripke - why should H care that some other person won in some other world?
          • Would care only if it was he himself!
    • Against Overlap
      • Why not just have the identity relation?
        • Problem of accidental intrinsics
          • extrinsic and necessary properties unproblematic.
          • e.g. size, shape, number of fingers...
            • cannot have 5 fingers in one world, and 6 in another!
              • Response: a relation borne to the diff worlds?
                • Utterly mysterious, and does little to eradicate the fact that  have diff number of fingers in each case...
                  • Don't care about H's relation to things - care about him intrinsically!
    • Haecceitism
      • Against
        • Only really works w/ overlap-- can simply have  identical individual in different worlds.
      • Can have difference in representation de re, without differences in quality.
        • Some intuitive cases, like epoch example.
      • Can use it for possible parts, but not worlds.
        • example, i might have been one of two twins... second or first.. regardless of the world.
  • Does not work w/ non overlapping case.
    • Against
      • Only really works w/ overlap-- can simply have  identical individual in different worlds.
    • i.e. cannot state what the nonqualitative determinants are!
      • Cannot say they are relations, as all object related to others in indefinitely many ways.
        • Cannot randomly single one out as 'special' w/o stating which and why.

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