counterpart theory of trans-world identity
E392413
modal metaphysical theory
philosophical theory
theory in analytic metaphysics
theory of identity across possible worlds
theory of modality
The counterpart theory of trans-world identity is David Lewis’s influential modal metaphysical view that individuals in different possible worlds are not literally the same entity but related by similarity-based “counterpart” relations.
All labels observed (1)
| Label | Occurrences |
|---|---|
| counterpart theory of trans-world identity canonical | 1 |
How this entity was disambiguated
This entity first appeared as the object of triple T3843112 — resolving that mention is where its identity was fixed. The disambiguator weighed these candidate entities and picked the highlighted one (or “None”, minting a new entity). This is how homonymy is resolved: the same surface form can point to different entities.
NED1
Entity disambiguation (via context triple)
gpt-5-mini-2025-08-07
Target entity: counterpart theory of trans-world identity Context triple: [David Lewis, theoryDeveloped, counterpart theory of trans-world identity]
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A.
Possible Worlds and Other Essays
Possible Worlds and Other Essays is a collection of influential scientific and philosophical essays by geneticist and evolutionary biologist J. B. S. Haldane, exploring topics in biology, evolution, and the nature of science.
-
B.
Identity, Ostension, and Hypostasis
"Identity, Ostension, and Hypostasis" is a philosophical essay by W.V.O. Quine that examines how reference, naming, and abstract entities arise within our linguistic and conceptual frameworks.
-
C.
Paradoxes of plurality
Paradoxes of plurality are a set of arguments by Zeno of Elea that challenge the coherence of the concepts of plurality and divisibility in space and time.
-
D.
Individuals: An Essay in Descriptive Metaphysics
Individuals: An Essay in Descriptive Metaphysics is a seminal 1959 work of analytic philosophy that develops a systematic account of our conceptual scheme for thinking about objects, persons, and their identity over time.
-
E.
On the Fourfold Root of the Principle of Sufficient Reason
On the Fourfold Root of the Principle of Sufficient Reason is a foundational philosophical treatise by Arthur Schopenhauer that analyzes the different ways in which the principle of sufficient reason structures human knowledge and experience.
- F. None of above. chosen
- G. Unsure - the case is ambiguous/there is not enough information to decide.
NED2
Entity disambiguation (via description)
gpt-5-mini-2025-08-07
Target entity: counterpart theory of trans-world identity Target entity description: The counterpart theory of trans-world identity is David Lewis’s influential modal metaphysical view that individuals in different possible worlds are not literally the same entity but related by similarity-based “counterpart” relations.
-
A.
Possible Worlds and Other Essays
Possible Worlds and Other Essays is a collection of influential scientific and philosophical essays by geneticist and evolutionary biologist J. B. S. Haldane, exploring topics in biology, evolution, and the nature of science.
-
B.
Identity, Ostension, and Hypostasis
"Identity, Ostension, and Hypostasis" is a philosophical essay by W.V.O. Quine that examines how reference, naming, and abstract entities arise within our linguistic and conceptual frameworks.
-
C.
Paradoxes of plurality
Paradoxes of plurality are a set of arguments by Zeno of Elea that challenge the coherence of the concepts of plurality and divisibility in space and time.
-
D.
Individuals: An Essay in Descriptive Metaphysics
Individuals: An Essay in Descriptive Metaphysics is a seminal 1959 work of analytic philosophy that develops a systematic account of our conceptual scheme for thinking about objects, persons, and their identity over time.
-
E.
On the Fourfold Root of the Principle of Sufficient Reason
On the Fourfold Root of the Principle of Sufficient Reason is a foundational philosophical treatise by Arthur Schopenhauer that analyzes the different ways in which the principle of sufficient reason structures human knowledge and experience.
- F. None of above. chosen
Statements (47)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
modal metaphysical theory
ⓘ
philosophical theory ⓘ theory in analytic metaphysics ⓘ theory of identity across possible worlds ⓘ theory of modality ⓘ |
| addresses |
metaphysics of possible individuals
ⓘ
problems of trans-world identity ⓘ semantics of modal discourse ⓘ |
| analyzes |
claims about what particular individuals could have been like
ⓘ
de re modality ⓘ |
| appliesTo |
concrete particulars
ⓘ
individual objects ⓘ persons ⓘ |
| asserts | individuals in different possible worlds are distinct but related by counterpart relations ⓘ |
| associatedWith | David Lewis ⓘ |
| compatibleWith |
Lewisian modal realism
ⓘ
linked to:
David Lewis's modal realism
|
| contrastsWith |
Kripkean essentialism about individuals
ⓘ
haecceitism ⓘ trans-world identity theory ⓘ |
| coreClaim |
an individual in one world is represented in another world by a counterpart rather than by being literally the same entity
ⓘ
counterpart relations are grounded in qualitative similarity and contextually salient respects ⓘ modal statements about what an individual could have been are analyzed via properties of its counterparts in other worlds ⓘ |
| criticizedFor |
alleged failure to capture intuitive de re modal claims
ⓘ
context-sensitivity of counterpart relations ⓘ counterintuitive treatment of trans-world identity ⓘ |
| defendedBy | David Lewis ⓘ |
| denies | strict trans-world identity of individuals ⓘ |
| developedIn | 20th century ⓘ |
| hasComponent |
analysis of modal predication
ⓘ
similarity-based counterpart relation ⓘ world-indexed individuals ⓘ |
| implies |
identity is world-bound
ⓘ
modal discourse is made true by facts about counterparts in other worlds ⓘ no individual exists in more than one possible world ⓘ |
| influencedBy |
David Lewis’s modal realism
ⓘ
linked to:
David Lewis's modal realism
|
| mainProponent | David Lewis ⓘ |
| philosophicalTradition | analytic philosophy ⓘ |
| relatedField |
metaphysics
ⓘ
modal logic ⓘ philosophy of language ⓘ philosophy of logic ⓘ |
| relatedWork | On the Plurality of Worlds ⓘ |
| relatedWorkAuthor | David Lewis ⓘ |
| usesConcept |
counterpart relation
ⓘ
modal realism ⓘ possible world ⓘ similarity-based relation ⓘ |
How these facts were elicited
The pipeline generated the facts above by prompting gpt-5.1 with this entity's name + description and the instruction below.
Instruction
You are a knowledge base construction expert. Given a subject entity and a description of it, return factual statements that you know for the subject as a JSON list of dictionaries(triples), where keys must be "subject", "predicate" and "object". The number of facts may be very high, between 25 to 50 or more, for very popular subjects. For less popular subjects, the number of facts can be very low, like 5 or 10. # Requirements - If you don't know the subject at all, return an empty list. - If the subject is not a named entity, return an empty list. - Include at least one triple where predicate is "instanceOf". - Do not get too wordy. - Separate several objects into multiple triples with one object.
Input
Subject: counterpart theory of trans-world identity Description of subject: The counterpart theory of trans-world identity is David Lewis’s influential modal metaphysical view that individuals in different possible worlds are not literally the same entity but related by similarity-based “counterpart” relations.
Referenced by (1)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.