Conceptual Surroundings of Absolute Identity

Abstract

When for the first time I read a paper to a philosophical audience—I had come to England only a short while ago, and was still getting used to both a language and a style of argumentation—, it was Peter Geach who encouraged me to develop further the thoughts contained in that paper. Today, after a dozen of years, I wish to take up his encouragement and connect some of those thoughts, which concerned the idea of necessary properties, with the question whether identity is absolute or relative. If my considerations turn out to conflict with Peter’s answer to this question, I am nevertheless sure that he will recognize in their contribution to this volume a sign of deep respect, of friendship, and of gratitude for what I have learnt from him.