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possible world
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possible world

In philosophy, a consistent set of propositions describing a logically, if not physically, possible state of affairs. The term was invented by German philosopher Gottfried Leibniz, who argued that God chose to make real one world from an infinite range of possible worlds. Since God could only choose the best, our world is ‘the best of all possible worlds’.

In the 20th century, philosophers have used Leibniz's metaphysics as a set of logical doctrines and the concept of possible worlds is now used as a tool in modal logic (the formal logic of possibility and necessity).

The concept can help to analyse the ontological argument of St Anselm, which aims to prove the necessary existence of God. It can also be used to explain terms like ‘necessary truth’ or ‘contingent truth’. A necessary truth, such as 2 + 2 = 4, is one that is true in all possible worlds, whereas a contingent truth, such as ‘Italy is a republic’, is one that is true only in some possible worlds.



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