With the comeback of metaphysics on the agenda of analytical philosophy a renewed interest for modalities and their specific properties was not lagging far behind. Yet, their indispensability in debates, say for example on identity and essence, stands in marked contrast to the explanatory meagerness when modalities are introduced by reference to ‘possible worlds’. However, what is required for an appropriate understanding of modalities is not, or so I try to argue, a philosophical account in any ambitious sense of the (...) word but rather a specification of their ‘structural’ properties, which allow us to differentiate between various types of modalities. The proper framework for such a specification is conveniently offered by proof theory, and here specifically by Gentzen methods. Therein we find not only all that is needed to understand modalities, modalities are thereby also handed back to where once they originated: logic. Keywords: modalities, modal logic, possibilities, possible worlds, proof-theoretic meaning. (shrink)

Publications of the series include the official proceedings of the ALWS-conferences and of their special workshops. The series is open also for other high-quality publications, especially on the philosophy of Ludwig Wittgenstein and its influence on contemporary analytic philosophy.

The paramount role of logic in Wittgenstein’s Tractatus is undeniable and must be obvious to anyone even on a cursory reading. Yet, Wittgenstein's formulations often appear metaphorical when he sketches his ideas on logic and its relation to sentence meaning. Sometimes, they seem more apt to invite loose philosophical associations than pinning down rigorously technical details. This impression notwithstanding, the Tractatus still offers one of the deepest philosophical accounts of modern logic and it does so precisely through its suggestive exposition. (...) It is, in particular, the spatial analogies, Wittgenstein’s ‘logical place’ and ‘logical space’, which are crucial in this connection, and while they carry a structure that is specific for Wittgenstein’s own conception of logic, they are sufficiently general to accommodate also alternative conceptions of logic. Thus, even 100 years after its first publication, Wittgenstein’s Tractatus remains a source of inspiration and a highly valuable one for the philosophy of logic. (shrink)

Angesichts anhaltender Diskussionen um die notwendige oder wünschenswerte Förderung von Forschung und Wissenschaft unternimmt das Buch den Versuch, akademische Forschung als ein für demokratische Gesellschaften unverzichtbares Element öffentlicher Debatten und damit der öffentlichen Entscheidungsfindung zu verteidigen. Da Wissenschaft wie Demokratie beide verfahrensorientiert sind, ist ihre historische Verbindung kein Zufall. Vielmehr sind Demokratie und Wissenschaft wechselseitig aufeinander angewiesen. Ökonomisch betrachtet, lässt sich Wissenschaft als ein öffentliches Gut verstehen, das insbesondere für das Funktionieren einer Zivilgesellschaft unverzichtbar ist.