Practice question · Multiple choice
On modal realism, 'actual' is an indexical term rather than an absolute property. What follows from this distinction for the ontological status of our own world compared to others?
Hints
- If 'actual' behaves identically to 'here' or 'now', how does any speaker's location compare to any other?
- Does modal realism grant our universe an ontological privilege that it denies to alternative possibilities?
Show the answer
D. Our world has no privileged metaphysical reality over any other
Why
Treating 'actual' as an indexical like 'here' means every world is actual to its own inhabitants. Ersatzists, not realists, treat other worlds as abstract, whilst Lewis's complete spatiotemporal isolation rules out causal relations between distinct universes.
Practise Modal Systems and Possible Worlds
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More questions on Modal Systems and Possible Worlds
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