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Contingent Identity
Author(s) -
Schwarz Wolfgang
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
philosophy compass
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.973
H-Index - 25
ISSN - 1747-9991
DOI - 10.1111/phc3.12028
Subject(s) - generality , argument (complex analysis) , object (grammar) , identity (music) , modality (human–computer interaction) , epistemology , philosophy , psychology , computer science , linguistics , artificial intelligence , aesthetics , medicine , psychotherapist
It is widely held that if an object a is identical (or non‐identical) to an object b , then it is necessary that a is identical (non‐identical) to b . This view is supported an argument from Leibniz's Law and a popular conception of de re modality. On the other hand, there are good reasons to allow for contingent identity. Various alternative accounts of de re modality have been developed to achieve this kind of generality, and to explain what is wrong with the argument from Leibniz's Law.