Abstract

SummaryA conception of numerical identity is introduced which, in accordance with a transcendental or imposition view of language, treats an identity predicate as having an ontologically generative function by genuinely being involved in the generation or construction of its domain of discourse. The proposed conception also allows for a plurality of identity predicates, each of which generating a domain, and it allows for the possibility that some such domains may not be unifiable with each other. All of these informal notions are explicated in formal terms. Finally, a comparison to Scott and Fourman's intuitionistic conception of identity is made.