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Persona #199

David Lewis

1941–2001
American philosopher; Princeton; principal twentieth-century theorist of modal realism, counterfactuals, and analytic systematic metaphysics

Modal realism — all possible worlds are real worlds, no less real than the actual one

Attribute Fingerprint

Rows where personas disagree are highlighted in gold. The full ontology grid (32 attributes) is shown.

Attribute David Lewis
Time · Extent Infinite
Time · Ontological Status Substantival
Time · Grain Continuous
Time · Freedom Deterministic
Time · Traversability Linear
Time · Dimensionality One
Time · Direction Uni-directional
Space · Extent Infinite
Space · Ontological Status Substantival
Space · Curvature Flat
Space · Dimensionality Three
Space · Locality Local
Matter · Extent Infinite
Matter · Ontological Status Substantival
Matter · Conservation Conserved
Matter · Dimensionality Three
Matter · Locality Local
Observer · Time Instance Single
Observer · Space Instance Single
Observer · Knowledge Extent Mediated
Observer · Knowledge Retainment Partial
Observer · Physicality Embodied
Observer · Agency Active
Observer · Number Plural
Observer · Metaphysical Agency None
Observer · Moral Authority Reason
Observer · Theological Method N/A
Energy · Extent Infinite
Energy · Ontological Status Substantival
Energy · Conservation Conserved
Energy · Dispersibility Irreversible
Information · Ontological Status Substantival
Information · Cosmic Conservation Conserved
Information · Personal Conservation Non-conserved
Information · Granularity Continuous

Dimension-by-Dimension Evidence

What each persona's writings reveal about their stance on each of the six dimensions.

Time

David Lewis

B-theoretic eternalism within each world; four-dimensional persistence through temporal parts.

Space

David Lewis

Standard substantival space within each of the infinitely many concrete worlds.

Matter

David Lewis

Standard substantival matter; the local-qualities mosaic of Humean supervenience.

Observer

David Lewis

Plural finite observers in each world; mediated knowledge through inference. No metaphysical agency.

Energy

David Lewis

Standard physics.

Information

David Lewis

Information conserved at the world-scale; personal soul not.

Internal Tensions

Where each persona's working synthesis strains against itself.

David Lewis

Lewis's modal realism — the "incredulous stare" objection — is the position most analytic philosophers find difficult to accept while granting its systematic power. The cost is high (infinitely many concrete worlds, none observable from any other), the benefits are real (the cleanest account of modal claims, counterfactuals, and propositions). The Humean-supervenience programme has been challenged by quantum-mechanical and dispositional-essentialist arguments that Lewis took seriously without conceding.