Abstract

GONZALEZ VARELA, José Edgar. On an Argument Against the Combination of De Re Modal Anti-Realism and Realism About Objects. Tópicos (México) [online]. 2021, n.60, pp.11-35.  Epub Feb 23, 2021. ISSN 0188-6649.  https://doi.org/10.21555/top.v0i60.1166.

Some philosophers think that anti-realism about de re neces- sity entails anti-realism about the individuation and identity of objects. In this paper I address one argument for this view, due to Sidelle (2010), according to which the only way in which a de re modal conventionalist can avoid being refuted by a well-known argument based on the contingency of conventions is by also accepting conventionalism about objects. I show that Sidelle’s argument is not successful and, in this way, I also show that the combination of de re modal anti-realism and realism about ob- jects is at least not threatened from this direction.

Keywords : conventionalism; individuation; identity; de re ne- cessity; relativism.