Posted: Apr 24, 2011 3:21 am
Teuton wrote:Necessary existence is not the same as necessary truth, is it?
They seem very close to me.
If X exists necessarily, does this not mean that X exists in all possible worlds, and does this then not mean that the proposition that X exists is true in all possible worlds?
If the proposition that X exists is true in all possible worlds, does this not mean that X exists in all possible worlds, and does this not mean that X exists necessarily?
So can't we therefore say that if X exists necessarily then the proposition that X exists is necessarily true?
And can't we also say that if the proposition that X exists is necessarily true then X exists necessarily?
The two seem to go together to me, so it seems to me that saying "X exists necessarily" and saying "The proposition that X exists is necessarily true" are equivalent to each other. That suggests to me that necessary existence just corresponds to a particular statement of necessary truth, and necessary existence is just a special case of necessary truth, stated differently.