Mike Hicks - Pragmatic Realism about Modality, Natural and Metaphysical

Michael Townsen Hicks (University of Glasgow)

The Center for Philosophy of Science at the University of Pittsburgh invites you to join us for our Lunch Time Talk. Attend in person at 1117 Cathedral of Learning or visit our live stream on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrRp47ZMXD7NXO3a9Gyh2sg.

LTT: Mike Hicks

Tuesday, September 29th @ 12:00 pm - 1:30 pm EST

Title: Pragmatic Realism about Modality, Natural and Metaphysical

Abstract:

Modal notions—which deal with necessity, possibility, and counterfactually robust conditionals–are central to our explanatory, predictive, and practical decision-making activities. In this talk, I will focus on two distinct types of modality: first, natural modality, the sort associated with causation, laws of nature, and scientific explanation; and second, metaphysical modality, of the sort associated with essences, semantic externalism, and grounding explanation. I will present and defend a first-order realist, higher-order pragmatist view of these modal notions. On this view, modal notions are backed by real, in the world relations: invariant regularities in the case of natural modals, and identity-like relations in the case of metaphysical modals. What makes these relations modal, however, are facts about our inferential practices. A relation is modally robust, on this view, just in case (and because) it is suitable to back a pattern of truth-conducive deductive inferences. I argue that this higher-order pragmatic explanation of the modality of these relations doesn’t challenge the view’s first-order realism, but does provide the view with the resources to solve some of realism’s more intractable normative and epistemic problems.

This talk will also be available live streamed on:

Zoom at https://pitt.zoom.us/j/94260602832

YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrRp47ZMXD7NXO3a9Gyh2sg.