Tanaka K., Sandgren A. The Many Faces of Impossibility

Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2024. — 64 p.Possible worlds have revolutionised philosophy and some related fields. But, in recent years, tools based on possible worlds have been found to be limited in many respects. Impossible worlds have been introduced to overcome these limitations. This Element aims to raise and answer the neglected question of what is characteristically impossible about impossible worlds. The Element sheds new light on the nature of impossible worlds. It also aims to analyse the main features and utility of impossible worlds and examine how impossible worlds can capture distinctions which are unavailable if we limit ourselves to possible world-based tools.Introduction
Conceptual Prolegomenon
Modality: Absolute vs. Relative
Non-normal Worlds
Entailment Statements
Logical Humean Supervenience
Non-classical Logics
Difference
An Analogy to Physics
Is Difference the Mark of Impossibility?
What Difference Does Difference Make?
Openness
Anarchy
Nihilism
Silence
Openness as Impossibility?
Anarchy as Impossibility?
Nihilism as Impossibility?
Silence as Impossibility?
Violation
Non-normal Worlds
How Do Violations Account for Impossibility?
Difference, Openness, and Violation
Difference and Openness
Difference and Violation
Openness and Violation
Counterpossibles and Countermetapossibles
Counterpossibles
Counterlogicals
Countermathematicals
Countermetafactuals, Countermetalogicals, and Countermetapossibles
Causal Counterfactuals
Representation
References
Acknowledgements