Higher‐order metaphysics

Subverting a once widely held Quinean paradigm, there is a growing consensus among philosophers of logic that higher‐order quantifiers (which bind variables in the syntactic position of predicates and sentences) are a perfectly legitimate and useful instrument in the logico‐philosophical toolbox, wh...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:	Philosophy compass Vol. 16; no. 10
Main Author:	Skiba, Lukas
Format:	Journal Article
Language:	English
Published:	Ithaca Wiley Subscription Services, Inc 01-10-2021
Subjects:	Identity Metaphysics Philosophy
Online Access:	Get full text
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Summary:	Subverting a once widely held Quinean paradigm, there is a growing consensus among philosophers of logic that higher‐order quantifiers (which bind variables in the syntactic position of predicates and sentences) are a perfectly legitimate and useful instrument in the logico‐philosophical toolbox, while neither being reducible to nor fully explicable in terms of first‐order quantifiers (which bind variables in singular term position). This article discusses the impact of this quantificational paradigm shift on metaphysics, focussing on theories of properties, propositions, and identity, as well as on the metaphysics of modality.
ISSN:	1747-9991 1747-9991
DOI:	10.1111/phc3.12756