Possible World

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(Metaphoric) term attributed to G.W.Leibniz (1646–1716) which assumes real situations to be hypothetically different and attempts to group all such situations or conditions into a plausible whole. In model-theoretic semantics, the interpretational function is relativized to possible worlds, for in order to establish whether the proposition of a statement is true or false, it is necessary to know the composition of the given world to which the statement refers. The status of the possible world as an undefined basic term is controversial: frequently, a definition is proposed depending on the set of propositions which holds true for a given world. In so-called ‘classic’ possible worlds, all logical connectives have a customary (set) interpretation, whereas so-called ‘non-classical’ possible worlds do not. The latter were proposed by M.J.Cresswell to encompass phenomena in intensional contexts. ( also intensional logic, Montague grammar)

Bruner, J. 1986. Actual minds, possible worlds. Cambridge, MA.

Cresswell, M.J. 1972. Intensional logics and logical truth. JPL 1. 2–15.

——1994. Language in the world. Cambridge.

Hintikka, J. 1969. Models for modalities. Dordrecht.

Hughes, G.E. and M.J.Cresswell. 1968. An introduction to modal logic. London.

Kripke, S.A. 1963.

Semantical considerations on modal logic. Acta Philosophica Fennica. 16. 83–94.

——1972. Naming and necessity. In D.Davidson and G.Harman (eds), Semantics of natural language. Dordrecht. 253–355. 762–9.

Lewis, D. 1970. General semantics. Synthese 22. 18–67.

——1973. Counterfactuals. Oxford.

Lutzeier, P.R. 1981. Words and worlds. In J.Eikmeyer and H.Rieser (eds), Words, worlds, and contexts: new approaches in word semantics. Berlin. 75–106.

Montague, R. 1974. Formal philosophy: selected papers, ed. R.H.Thomason. New Haven, CT.

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