Authors: S. Galvan and A. Giordani
Abstract.The purpose of this paper is to provide a new system of logic for existence and essence, in which the traditional distinctions between essential and accidental properties, abstract and concrete objects, and actuallyexistent and possibly existent objects are described and related in a suit-able way. In order to accomplish this task, a primitive relation of essentialidentity between different objects is introduced and connected to a firstorder existence property and a first order abstractness property. The basicidea is that possibly existent objects are completely determinate and thatessentially identical objects are just different individuations of the same in-dividual essence. Accordingly, essential properties are defined as propertiesthat are invariant with respect to this kind of identity, while abstract objectsare determined by being characterized by essential properties only. Oncesuch ideas are implemented, a number of classical intuitions about objects,their essence, and their way of existence can be consistently interpreted.
Keywords: essence; existence; qualitative identity; essential identity; abstract objects; possible worlds semantics; quantified modal logic
这篇论文提出了一种新的经典模态逻辑CML,旨在提供一个形式框架来描述存在、本质和必然性等经典概念之间的关系。该框架的主要特征有:
- 引入了一个一阶存在谓词E来表示实际存在的属性。
- 引入了一个本质同一关系≈来连接本质相同的不同对象。本质相同的对象是同一本质的不同个体化。
- 定义了不变性质(invariant property)和本质性质(essential property)。不变性质是对象的所有本质变体都必然共享的性质。本质性质是非普适的不变性质。
- 引入了抽象性谓词A来描述抽象对象。抽象对象存在且不可变。
- 区分了潜在存在(potential existence)和逻辑存在(logical existence)。前者表示对象可能实际存在,后者表示对象逻辑上可能存在。
- 定义了必然对象(necessary object)和偶然对象(contingent object)。必然对象必然存在,偶然对象只是可能存在。
- 证明了一些关于本质性质和对象的重要定理,体现了经典形而上学的一些基本洞见。
- 与 Meinong主义、莱布尼兹主义、Lewis模态实在论和最简单的模态逻辑进行了比较。
总的来说,该论文通过一系列概念和公理的明确定义,构建了一个表达经典存在论和本体论观点的模态逻辑系统。它区分了不同类型的物体、性质和存在方式,并证明了一些重要的经典命题。这为探讨存在、本质、必然性等议题提供了一个新的理论框架。