模态与本质:先验的模态本质主义知识论——以洛的严肃本质主义知识论为例

Modality and Essence:A Prior Epistemology of Modal Essentialism-Take Lowe's Serious Essentialism Epistemology As an Example

本质主义在近几年模态知识论的讨论中得到了大量的关注和认可。继法恩对本质的模态性解释路径提出挑战之后,学界起了新亚里士多德式的本质主义的新浪潮。洛提出了一种先验的严肃本质主义,他认为我们可以凭借对给定事物的真实定义的理解而把握到该事物的本质,然后再依据桥律(□xP→□P)我们就可获得模态知识。我们认为,面对自然类事物的模态探讨时,运用纯粹的先验方法总会顾此而失彼,而采用一种混合式的分析进路将会是未来探讨如何获得模态知识的主要趋势。

Essentialism has gained more attention and recognition in the discussion of modal epistemology in recent years.Since Fine challenged the practice of reducing essentialism to modality,a new wave of Neo-Aristotelian essentialism has been set off in academic circles.Lowe puts forward a kind of serious a priori essentialism.He thinks that we can grasp the essence of a given thing by understanding its real definition.According to the bridge law(□xP→□P),we can obtain modal knowledge.However,when we discuss the modality of natural kinds,we find that the use of pure a prior method can't always hit the targets,and adopting a hybrid analysis approach will be the future trend for us to obtain modal knowledge.