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1、PossibleWorlds97onethatcomesouttrueundersomeassignmentofextensionstothenonlogicalvocabulary,thenthetheoryisincorrect:someassignmentsofextensionsareimpossible,forinstanceonethatassignsoverlappingextensionstotheEnglishterms'pig'and'sheep'.Ifaconsistentsentenceisoneth
2、atcomesouttrueundersomepossibleassignmentofextensions,thenthetheoryisagaincircular.(3)Wemighttðemasquantifiersoverso-called'possibleworlds'thatarereallysomePossibleWorldssortofrespectablelinguisticentities:say,maximalconsistentsetsofsentencesofsomelanguage.(Orma
3、ximalconsistentsetsofatomicsentences,thatisstate&jcriiptiam;ormaximalconsistentsetsofatomicsentencesinthelanguagembchedbytheadditionofnamesforallthethingsthereare,thatis,diagrammedDavidLewisma&-.)Wemightcallthesethings'possibleworlds',buthastentoreassureanyonewhowa
4、sworriedthatsecretlyweweretalkingaboutsomethingelsethathelikesbetter.Butagainthetheorywouldbeeithercircularorincorrect,accord-Ibelievethattherearepossibleworldsotherthantheonewehappentoinhabit.Ifingasweexplainconsistencyinmodaltermsorindeductive(orpurelymodel-anarg
5、umentiswanted,itisthis.Itisuncontroversiallytruethatthingsmightbetheoreric)terms.otherwisethantheyare.Ibelieve,andsodoyou,thatthingscouldhavebeenIemphaticallydonotidentifypossibleworldsinanywaywithrespectabledifferentincountlessways.Butwhatdoesthismean?Ordinarylang
6、uagepermitslinguisticentities;Itakethemtoberespectableentitiesintheirownright.Whentheparaphrase:therearemanywaysthingscouldhavebeenbesidesthewaytheyIprofessrealismaboutpossibleworlds,Imeantobetakenliterally.Possibleactuallyare.Onthefaceofit,thissentenceisanexistent
7、ialquantification.Itsaysworldsarewhattheyare,andnotsomeotherthing.Ifaskedwhatsortofthingthatthereexistmanyentitiesofacertaindescription,towit'waysthingcouldtheyare,Icannotgivethekindofreplymyquestionerprobablyexpects:thatis,ahavebeen'.Ibelievethatthingscouldhavebee
8、ndifferentincountlessways;proposaltoreducepossibleworldstosomethingelse.IbelievepermissibleparaphrasesofwhatIbelieve;takingtheparaphraseatitsface
