133:: "There is no object, which implies the existence of any other if we consider these objects in themselves". Hume's intuition motivating this thesis is that while experience presents us with certain ideas of various objects, it might as well have presented us with very different ideas. So when I perceive a bird on a tree, I might as well have perceived a bird without a tree or a tree without a bird. This is so because their
157:
worlds with the throwing-event also contain a subsequent dissolving-event. But the two events are distinct entities, so according to Hume's dictum, it is possible to have one event without the other. An even wider application is to use Hume's dictum as an axiom of modality to determine which propositions or worlds are possible based on the notion of recombination.
156:
are necessary, i.e. are the same in all possible worlds. To see how this might work, consider the case of salt being thrown into a cup of water and subsequently dissolving. This can be described as a series of two events, a throwing-event and a dissolving-event. Necessitarians hold that all possible
51:
necessity is necessity according to the laws of physics and logical necessity is necessity according to the laws of logic, while metaphysical necessities are necessary in the sense that the world could not possibly have been otherwise. What facts are metaphysically necessary, and on what basis we
163:
likewise critiqued the notion of 'metaphysical neccessity' writing that "the sun will rise to-morrow, is an hypothesis; and that means that we do not know whether it will rise. A necessity for one thing to happen because another has happened does not exist. There is only logical necessity".
223:
argues that God is a causally necessary being. Because a factually or causally necessary being does not exist by logical necessity, it does not exist in all logically possible worlds. Therefore, Swinburne used the term "ultimate brute fact" for the existence of God.
106:
causal necessity (subsumed by Hick under the former type): a causally necessary being is such that it is logically impossible for it to be causally dependent on any other being, and it is logically impossible for any other being to be causally independent of
39:(or physical) necessity, in the sense that logical necessity entails metaphysical necessity, but not vice versa, and metaphysical necessity entails physical necessity, but not vice versa. A
145:: "anything can coexist with anything else, at least provided they occupy distinct spatiotemporal positions. Likewise, anything can fail to coexist with anything else".
113:: a logically necessary being is a being whose non-existence is a logical impossibility, and which therefore exists either timeless or eternally in all possible worlds.
103:
factual necessity (existential necessity): a factually necessary being is not causally dependent on any other being, while any other being is causally dependent on it.
52:
might view certain facts as metaphysically but not logically necessary are subjects of substantial discussion in contemporary philosophy.
486:
387:
331:
618:
607:
644:
359:
458:
282:
243:
91:
Metaphysical necessity is contrasted with other types of necessity. For example, the philosophers of religion
125:
is a thesis about necessary connections between distinct entities. Its original formulation can be found in
415:
649:
130:
152:. It can be used, for example, as an argument against nomological necessitarianism, the view that the
248:
138:
551:
153:
204:
177:
60:
8:
325:
160:
64:
634:
593:
480:
381:
508:
63:, but metaphysical necessity is also one of the central concepts in late 20th century
278:
216:
212:
80:
208:
639:
450:
56:
55:
The concept of a metaphysically necessary being plays an important role in certain
220:
96:
67:. Metaphysical necessity has proved a controversial concept, and criticized by
32:
628:
110:
72:
454:
187:
76:
238:
182:
149:
40:
36:
597:
126:
68:
20:
479:
Gibbs, Cameron (2019). "2. CONSTRAINTS ON FORMULATING HUME'S DICTUM".
353:
215:) considered God to be a logically or metaphysically necessary being,
148:
Hume's dictum has been employed in various arguments in contemporary
92:
438:
613:
602:
48:
134:
409:
233:
380:
Gibbs, Cameron (2019). "6. THE ARGUMENT FROM PLENITUDE".
191:
truths, such as "Hesperus is
Phosphoros", or "Water is H
324:
Hume, David (1739). "Book I, Part III, Section VI".
195:
O", that were nonetheless metaphysically necessary.
167:
626:
580:. 2nd ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 96
141:follows this line of thought in formulating his
513:. Metaphysics Research Lab, Stanford University
531:
47:if it could not have failed to be the case.
35:, which sits between logical necessity and
198:
627:
506:
439:"Necessarily, Salt Dissolves in Water"
319:
317:
567:. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, p. 108
478:
379:
351:
294:John Hick (1961): Necessary Being. -
86:
436:
323:
31:, is one of many different kinds of
619:Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy
608:Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy
418:from the original on 28 August 2023
314:
99:distinguished the following three:
13:
407:
219:argued for factual necessity, and
57:arguments for the existence of God
14:
661:
587:
117:
570:
557:
540:
525:
500:
489:from the original on 2023-06-26
461:from the original on 2023-06-23
390:from the original on 2023-06-26
362:from the original on 2023-06-23
358:. Wiley-Blackwell. p. 88.
334:from the original on 2023-05-11
534:Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus
472:
430:
401:
373:
345:
301:
288:
267:
1:
532:Wittgenstein, Ludwig (1921).
311:. Fordham Univ Press, 273 pp.
260:
203:While many theologians (e.g.
507:Menzel, Christopher (2017).
296:Scottish Journal of Theology
137:do not depend upon another.
7:
227:
10:
666:
576:Richard Swinburne (2004):
482:A Defense of Hume's Dictum
383:A Defense of Hume's Dictum
355:On the Plurality of Worlds
327:A Treatise of Human Nature
143:principle of recombination
131:A Treatise of Human Nature
330:. The Project Gutenberg.
309:The Cosmological Argument
552:Harvard University Press
437:Bird, Alexander (2001).
307:William L. Rowe (1998):
645:Concepts in metaphysics
563:Ronald H. Nash (1983):
455:10.1111/1467-8284.00304
185:argued that there were
29:broad logical necessity
594:Metaphysical necessity
25:metaphysical necessity
352:Lewis, David (1986).
199:Necessity in theology
16:Philosophical concept
578:The Existence of God
548:Naming and Necessity
546:Kripke, Saul. 1980.
205:Anselm of Canterbury
178:Naming and Necessity
171:and necessary truths
61:ontological argument
161:Ludwig Wittgenstein
65:analytic philosophy
27:, sometimes called
565:The Concept of God
87:Types of necessity
650:Modal metaphysics
603:Modal Metaphysics
275:God and Necessity
217:Richard Swinburne
213:Gottfried Leibniz
111:logical necessity
81:Richard Swinburne
59:, especially the
657:
581:
574:
568:
561:
555:
544:
538:
537:
529:
523:
522:
520:
518:
504:
498:
497:
495:
494:
476:
470:
469:
467:
466:
434:
428:
427:
425:
423:
408:Swartz, Norman.
405:
399:
398:
396:
395:
377:
371:
370:
368:
367:
349:
343:
342:
340:
339:
321:
312:
305:
299:
298:, 1961: 353-369.
292:
286:
271:
83:, among others.
665:
664:
660:
659:
658:
656:
655:
654:
625:
624:
616:article in the
614:Modal Illusions
605:article in the
590:
585:
584:
575:
571:
562:
558:
545:
541:
530:
526:
516:
514:
510:Possible Worlds
505:
501:
492:
490:
477:
473:
464:
462:
435:
431:
421:
419:
406:
402:
393:
391:
378:
374:
365:
363:
350:
346:
337:
335:
322:
315:
306:
302:
293:
289:
285:, 9780191654879
272:
268:
263:
230:
221:Alvin Plantinga
201:
194:
173:
120:
97:William L. Rowe
89:
17:
12:
11:
5:
663:
653:
652:
647:
642:
637:
623:
622:
611:
600:
589:
588:External links
586:
583:
582:
569:
556:
539:
524:
499:
471:
449:(4): 267–274.
429:
411:Laws of Nature
400:
372:
344:
313:
300:
287:
273:Brian Leftow,
265:
264:
262:
259:
258:
257:
246:
241:
236:
229:
226:
209:René Descartes
200:
197:
192:
172:
166:
154:laws of nature
119:
116:
115:
114:
108:
104:
88:
85:
43:is said to be
15:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
662:
651:
648:
646:
643:
641:
638:
636:
633:
632:
630:
621:
620:
615:
612:
610:
609:
604:
601:
599:
595:
592:
591:
579:
573:
566:
560:
553:
549:
543:
535:
528:
512:
511:
503:
488:
484:
483:
475:
460:
456:
452:
448:
444:
440:
433:
417:
413:
412:
404:
389:
385:
384:
376:
361:
357:
356:
348:
333:
329:
328:
320:
318:
310:
304:
297:
291:
284:
280:
276:
270:
266:
256:
255:
251:
247:
245:
242:
240:
237:
235:
232:
231:
225:
222:
218:
214:
210:
206:
196:
190:
189:
184:
180:
179:
170:
165:
162:
158:
155:
151:
146:
144:
140:
136:
132:
128:
124:
123:Hume's dictum
118:Hume's dictum
112:
109:
105:
102:
101:
100:
98:
94:
84:
82:
78:
74:
73:Immanuel Kant
70:
66:
62:
58:
53:
50:
46:
42:
38:
34:
30:
26:
22:
617:
606:
577:
572:
564:
559:
547:
542:
533:
527:
515:. Retrieved
509:
502:
491:. Retrieved
481:
474:
463:. Retrieved
446:
442:
432:
420:. Retrieved
410:
403:
392:. Retrieved
382:
375:
364:. Retrieved
354:
347:
336:. Retrieved
326:
308:
303:
295:
290:
274:
269:
254:a posteriori
253:
249:
202:
188:a posteriori
186:
176:
174:
169:A posteriori
168:
159:
147:
142:
122:
121:
90:
77:J. L. Mackie
54:
44:
28:
24:
18:
517:28 November
422:28 November
239:Modal logic
183:Saul Kripke
150:metaphysics
139:David Lewis
49:Nomological
41:proposition
37:nomological
629:Categories
598:PhilPapers
493:2024-04-30
465:2024-04-30
394:2024-04-30
366:2024-04-30
338:2024-04-30
283:0191654876
261:References
127:David Hume
69:David Hume
21:philosophy
635:Necessity
244:Platonism
93:John Hick
45:necessary
33:necessity
487:Archived
459:Archived
443:Analysis
416:Archived
388:Archived
360:Archived
332:Archived
277:(2012).
250:A priori
228:See also
135:essences
640:Reality
281:
234:Ananke
211:, and
79:, and
554:: 22.
519:2020
424:2020
279:ISBN
252:and
95:and
596:at
451:doi
175:In
129:'s
107:it.
19:In
631::
550:.
485:.
457:.
447:61
445:.
441:.
414:.
386:.
316:^
207:,
181:,
75:,
71:,
23:,
536:.
521:.
496:.
468:.
453::
426:.
397:.
369:.
341:.
193:2
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.