A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal
On a Misguided Argument for the Necessity of Identity
Authors: Ari Maunu
Publisher: Philosophy documentation center
Publishing place: Charlottesville, Virginia
Publication year: 2018
Journal: Journal of Philosophical Research
Volume: 43
First page : 241
Last page: 248
Number of pages: 8
ISSN: 1053-8364
eISSN: 2153-7984
DOI: https://doi.org/10.5840/jpr2018918134(external)
Web address : https://www.pdcnet.org/jpr/content/jpr_2018_0043_0241_0248(external)
Self-archived copy’s web address: https://research.utu.fi/converis/portal/detail/Publication/37300695(external)
There is a certain popular argument, deriving from Ruth Barcan and Saul Kripke, from the conjunction of the Principle of the Indiscernibility of Identicals (PInI, for short) and the Principle of the Necessity of Self-Identity to the Thesis of the Necessity of Identity. My purpose is to show that this argument does not work, not at least in the form it is often presented. I also give a correct formulation of the argument and point out that PInI is not even needed in the argument for the necessity of identity.
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