You stipulate that you are talking about the actual world, and this means that the world you are talking about is a possible world, it is stipulated. By your own words, the actual world is "not stipulated". — Metaphysician Undercover

We are in the actual world. Metaphysics.

We might stipulate that we want to talk about the actual world, and not some other possibel world. Semantics.

You are mixing the two.


If you stipulate that the world which Branson's wife did not die, is the actual world, you would be mistaken.

We are in the actual world. Metaphysics. — Banno

OK, let's get this straight. I hope you are not trying to confuse me.

We are in the actual world.
Possible worlds are stipulated though.
The world we are in is not a stipulated world
Therefore the actual world is not a possible world.

Agree?

The world we are in is not a stipulated world — Metaphysician Undercover

This is a metaphysical point. The other assumptions are semantic.

Speaking semantically, the actual world can be stipulated. Which is just to say we can talk about the actual world as one of the possible words.

We are in the actual world. — Banno

What proof do you have of such that a person in a stipulated or even flat-out simulated world wouldn't be able to "show" or otherwise "point to" as well, though? This is the root of the argument that words and misplacement of words ultimately fail to address. :chin:

Not sure I understand.

By definition, the actual world is the one we are in. Is that what you are asking?

Or are you asking for proof that you are in the actual world? What could that look like?

This is a metaphysical point. — Banno

A very important metaphysical point, I might add. Failure to recognize this might lead one to think that the actual world is one of the possible worlds. And one might think that what is actually known is also possibly known. But a good metaphysician will recognize the category division, and the danger of contradiction if we allow that the actual is also possible.

Speaking semantically, the actual world can be stipulated. Which is just to say we can talk about the actual world as one of the possible words. — Banno

Sure, but this is problematic due to the possibility of mistake. If we stipulate that a specific possible world represents the actual world, then we take that special status assigned to "the actual world", for granted, even though it might not be a correct representation. Therefore, the title "the actual world" requires more than simple stipulation, it requires justification.

"things, as phenomena, determine space; that is to say, they render it possible that, of all the possible predicates of space (size and relation), certain may belong to reality" (CPR). — SophistiCat

I agree with most of that. I can see that we need to say that the actual is possible - even if that is a bit awkward in some ways. It certainly beats saying that the actual is not possible.
I'm not sure I understand this sentence. But if you mean that things determine space, rather than the other way round, I'm with you.

But Banno seems to be influenced by some sort of common language intuition which makes him think that it's nonsense to say that what is actual is not possible. — Metaphysician Undercover

There's a false dilemma there. There's something wrong with saying that the actual world is possible and something wrong with saying that it is not possible. I am trying to express that by saying that the actual world is not merely possible and that it is different from all the other possible worlds in that respect.

What you propose here is just ridiculous, because one could just as easily stipulate that the world which Branson's wife did not die, is the actual world. — Metaphysician Undercover

You are missing the point. You cannot stipulate which possible world is actual. That's not a decision that we can make. We can only recognize the status of the actual world.

A god logician will understand that they can only know what it is possible to know.

You are missing the point. You cannot stipulate which possible world is actual. That's not a decision that we can make. We can only recognize the status of the actual world. — Ludwig V

yep.