Overview

To propose the idea of a possible world that differs in some possible way from our ""actual"" world, for example, a world where the grass is red or where no people exist, can help us to analyze and understand a range of philosophical concepts, such as counterfactuals, properties, modality, and of course, the notions of ""possibility"" and ""necessity"". This introduction to the subject of possible worlds surveys the range of current thinking, examining the ideas of Kripke, Lewis, Armstrong, Stalnaker and others. Beginning with a discussion of ""possible for"" and ""possible that"", and imagination and fiction, the author moves on to discuss Kripke's many logics for possibility and Lewis' counterpart worlds. Epistemic possibility, computation and possible worlds, physically possible worlds, impossible worlds, and real possibility, are then discussed in turn in separate chapters. How the idea of a possible world can be put to use in different areas of philosophy is examined, and the problems it may arise, and the benefits that can be gained, are investigated.

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9781902683683

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Reviews

"""Extremely useful as a textbook for senior undergraduate or graduate students in philosophy and logic - the only one that cuts through the metaphysical abstraction and analyzes possible worlds theory in plain language and in a practical manner. It is the first book that instead of simply advocating possible worlds, or using the device to promote some version of modal logic, in effect, deconstructs the notion, putting it into question and subjecting it to critical scrutiny that it often does not stand up to very well."" - History and Philosophy of Logic ""A very well written book. Graduate students who do not have familiarity with logic but need to know something about possible worlds talk will find the book very helpful. Advanced issues such as varying domain semantics and free logic are discussed in a very accessible way... By pointing out some of the contexts in which possible worlds semantics succeeds or fails to illuminate philosophical problems, the book makes a welcome addition to the literature on possible worlds. I strongly recommend this book to anybody interested in the rich topic of modality."" - Julia Weingaertner, Federal University of Santa Catarina ""An excellent, non-technical introduction to the fascinating issues concerning possible worlds and their applications in philosophy and logic. Girle patiently lays out the issues in ways that do not require prior familiarity with logic, and so provides an ideal entry-point for less technically-minded philosophers and philosophy students."" - Mark Colyvan, University of Sydney"

Extremely useful as a textbook for senior undergraduate or graduate students in philosophy and logic - the only one that cuts through the metaphysical abstraction and analyzes possible worlds theory in plain language and in a practical manner. It is the first book that instead of simply advocating possible worlds, or using the device to promote some version of modal logic, in effect, deconstructs the notion, putting it into question and subjecting it to critical scrutiny that it often does not stand up to very well. - History and Philosophy of Logic A very well written book. Graduate students who do not have familiarity with logic but need to know something about possible worlds talk will find the book very helpful. Advanced issues such as varying domain semantics and free logic are discussed in a very accessible way... By pointing out some of the contexts in which possible worlds semantics succeeds or fails to illuminate philosophical problems, the book makes a welcome addition to the literature on possible worlds. I strongly recommend this book to anybody interested in the rich topic of modality. - Julia Weingaertner, Federal University of Santa Catarina An excellent, non-technical introduction to the fascinating issues concerning possible worlds and their applications in philosophy and logic. Girle patiently lays out the issues in ways that do not require prior familiarity with logic, and so provides an ideal entry-point for less technically-minded philosophers and philosophy students. - Mark Colyvan, University of Sydney

Author Information

Rod Girle is Associate Professor of Philosophy at the University of Auckland.

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