On Possibilia and Essentiality: Ruth Marcus

Abstract

There has indeed been much recent ado concerning possible worlds and substitutional quantification, to which Ruth Marcus calls attention in her highly provocative Presidential Address ‘Dispensing with Possibilia.’¹ Moreover the ado has proliferated to such an extent as to be now almost beyond recall. Even so, Mrs. Marcus has found some interesting things to say about the subjects that merit further discussion. Her key point is that substitutional quantification suitably used enables her to dispense with possibilia, to which she confesses she has “always had an aversion.” Let us reflect upon how she purports to achieve this and call attention to what seem to be the inadequacies of her method. These might in fact be thought so considerable as to prevent her from reaching her goal.