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counterpart theory

counterpart theory noun: an alternative to standard possible worlds semantics in which an individual can exist in only one world, while other possible worlds contain (different) counterparts to that individual, and in which the modality operators (necessity, possibility) are replaced by quantifiers over possible worlds.

Noun

counterpart theory (uncountable)

  1. (metaphysics) An alternative to standard possible worlds semantics in which an individual can exist in only one world, while other possible worlds contain (different) counterparts to that individual, and in which the modality operators (necessity, possibility) are replaced by quantifiers over possible worlds.
    • If counterpart theory calls for the rejection of some popular modal principles, that needn't worry us. But if it forces us to reject principles of the logic of identity and quantification, that is more serious.1983, David Lewis, Philosophical Papers, volume 1, page 45
    • According to counterpart theory, Humphrey himself has the modal property, might have won the election, in virtue of his counterpart having the (non-modal) property, won the election.2013, Theodore Sider, John Hawthorne, Dean W. Zimmerman, Contemporary Debates in Metaphysics

Questions about counterpart theory

What does counterpart theory mean?
Counterpart theory means an alternative to standard possible worlds semantics in which an individual can exist in only one world, while other possible worlds contain (different) counterparts to that individual, and in which the modality operators (necessity, possibility) are replaced by quantifiers over possible worlds.
What part of speech is counterpart theory?
Counterpart theory is a noun.

Words near counterpart theory in the dictionary

  1. counterparried
  2. counterparries
  3. counterparry
  4. counterparrying
  5. counterpart
  6. counterpart theory
  7. counterparted
  8. counterparties
  9. counterparting
  10. counterparts
  11. counterparty

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: counterpart theory (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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