
Thinking of Necessity
A Kantian Account of Modal Thought and Modal Metaphysics
Jessica Leech(Author)
Oxford University Press
Published on 28. September 2023
Book
Hardback
260 pages
978-0-19-887396-9 (ISBN)
Description
Thinking of Necessity: A Kantian Account of Modal Thought and Modal Metaphysics sets out a Kant-inspired theory of modality, i.e., possibility and necessity. The theory is driven by a methodology which takes seriously questions about the function of modal judgment, i.e., the role or purpose of judgments of possibility and necessity, as a guide to a metaphysics of modality. Kant is a good example for how to develop this methodological approach since, for Kant, modal concepts play an important role in our capacity for thought and experience of the world. The book argues that we need logical modal concepts as a condition on our ability to think, and metaphysical modal concepts as a condition on our ability to think objectively, i.e., to think about the world. Concordant with this, it argues that logical necessity has its source in the laws of thought and that metaphysical necessity is relative to conditions on objective thought. This account of metaphysical necessity, which is termed "Modal Transcendentalism", is then further developed, covering questions concerning necessary and contingent existence, de re necessity, essentialism, and modal epistemology. The theory of modality developed in the book is inspired by aspects of Kant's writings on modality, but the development and defence of the theory is undertaken mostly independently of Kant.
Reviews / Votes
Thinking of Necessity stands as a valuable contribution to the study of modality, and is an excellent example of how historical frameworks can be recruited in constructing novel and productive approaches to contemporary philosophical debates. * Aaron Barker, Metascience *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Oxford
United Kingdom
Product notice
sewn/stitched
Cloth over boards
Dimensions
Height: 226 mm
Width: 163 mm
Thickness: 33 mm
Weight
544 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-19-887396-9 (9780198873969)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

E-Book
11/2023
1st Edition
OUP eBook
€71.49
Available for download

E-Book
10/2023
1st Edition
OUP eBook
€71.49
Available for download
Person
Jessica Leech joined the King's College London Philosophy department in September 2016. She was previously a lecturer at the University of Sheffield, and a Junior Research Fellow at King's College, Cambridge. She did her doctorate jointly at the University of Sheffield and the University of Geneva (as part of the "Theory of Essence" research project based at the Eidos Centre for Metaphysics at the University of Geneva), supervised by Fabrice Correia and Bob Hale.
Author
Senior Lecturer, Department of PhilosophySenior Lecturer, Department of Philosophy, King's College London
Content
- Acknowledgements
- 1: A Methodology for Modality
- 2: Kant on Modality
- 3: The Function of Logical Necessity
- 4: The Source of Logical Necessity
- 5: Objectivity and Modality
- 6: What is Metaphysical Necessity?
- 7: Relative and Absolute Necessity
- 8: What is Metaphysically Necessary?
- 9: Essence, Existence and Modal Knowledge
- 10: Metaphysical Necessity in a Formal System
- Bibliography