How Long to Read How Things Might Have Been

How Long Does it Take to Read How Things Might Have Been?

It takes the average reader 3 hours and 47 minutes to read How Things Might Have Been by Penelope Mackie

Assuming a reading speed of 250 words per minute. Learn more

Description

How are we to distinguish between the essential and accidental properties of things such as individual people, cats, trees, and tables? Almost everyone agrees that such individuals could have been different, in certain respects, from the way that they actually are. But what are the respects in which they could not have been different: which of their properties are essential to their being the individuals that they are? And why? Following the revival of interest among analytic philosophers in essentialism and de re modality generated by the work of Kripke and others in the 1970s, these questions have been the subject of intense, yet still unresolved, debate. In this book, Penelope Mackie challenges most of the answers that have been given to these questions. Via a critical examination of rival theories, she arrives at what she calls 'minimalist essentialism', an unorthodox theory according to which ordinary individuals have relatively few interesting essential properties, and intuitions that appear to support stronger versions of essentialism are interpreted as consistent with the theory. The topics discussed include the rivalry between the interpretation of de re modality in terms of 'identity across possible worlds' and its interpretation in terms of David Lewis's counterpart theory, some notorious modal puzzles generated by the theory that individuals exist with different properties in different possible worlds, the notion of an individual essence, Kripke's 'necessity of origin' thesis, and the widely held view that there are sortal properties that are essential properties of the things to which they belong. The book also includes a discussion of the relation between essentialism about individuals and essentialism about natural kinds, and a critical examination of the connection between semantics and natural kind essentialism.

How long is How Things Might Have Been?

How Things Might Have Been by Penelope Mackie is 224 pages long, and a total of 56,896 words.

This makes it 76% the length of the average book. It also has 70% more words than the average book.

How Long Does it Take to Read How Things Might Have Been Aloud?

The average oral reading speed is 183 words per minute. This means it takes 5 hours and 10 minutes to read How Things Might Have Been aloud.

What Reading Level is How Things Might Have Been?

How Things Might Have Been is suitable for students ages 12 and up.

Note that there may be other factors that effect this rating besides length that are not factored in on this page. This may include things like complex language or sensitive topics not suitable for students of certain ages.

When deciding what to show young students always use your best judgement and consult a professional.

Where Can I Buy How Things Might Have Been?

How Things Might Have Been by Penelope Mackie is sold by several retailers and bookshops. However, Read Time works with Amazon to provide an easier way to purchase books.

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