Speaker: Paul Meisenbichler (MIT)
Title: Reference to individuals across worlds and constraints on de re phenomena
Time: Wednesday, November 12th, 1pm – 2pm
Location: 32-D461
Abstract: In this LFRG, I want to lead a (mostly informal) discussion on the role that counterpart theory (CT, see Lewis 1986) should play in our approaches to de re/de dicto phenomena. The central tenet of CT is the ontological assumption that individuals exist in only one world. In CT, reference across worlds must therefore be established in an indirect way (i.e. as a relation between an individual in one world and its counterparts in other worlds). In some of the recent literature, it has been suggested that blocking (direct) transworld reference could help us understand some well-known constraints on transparent/opaque readings (e.g. Percus (2013), Sauerland (2014), Cable (2018)). I want to explore these proposals and discuss whether adopting a counterpart ontology is a move worth pursuing.