ON THE BENEFITS OF A REDUCTION OF MODAL PREDICATES TO MODAL OPERATORS

Abstract

Often notions such as necessity, knowledge, and analyticity are not conceived as predicates applying to propositions or sentences; rather they are expressed by sentential operators or by predicates without a slot for propositions. On the one hand, eliminating modal predicates has some advantages: since no objects such as propositions are needed to which these predicates are applied, the elimination can be used in an ontological reduction. Moreover, modal predicates are prone to paradox, which can be avoided if the modal predicates are eliminated. On the other hand, eliminating modal predicates seems to cripple the expressive power of the language. In my talk I'll look at various proposed reductions of modal predicates in adverbialist and operator approaches. I'll then evaluate attempts to restore the expressive power of the language by retaining a predicate for truth.