Question
Kit Fine’s essay “Essence and Modality” notes that it is not in this man’s essence to belong to the set whose sole member is this man. For 10 points each:
[10e] Name this man from the classic syllogism: this man is a man; all men are mortal; therefore, this man is mortal.
ANSWER: Socrates
[10m] Fine uses the example of the set containing Socrates to critique modal definitions of essence that imply essence is determined by this sort of equivalence. In symbolic modal logic, the statement “P has this property” is written “box P.”
ANSWER: necessary [or word forms like necessity or necessarily; accept necessary equivalence]
[10h] Fine argues that claims about essence cannot be merely understood as this sort of modal claim. In Quine’s example of this sort of belief, Ralph thinks that the man in a trench coat is a spy but the mayor is not, even though they are both Bernard J. Ortcutt.
ANSWER: de re [or of the thing]
<FW, Philosophy (19th/20th Century)>
Data
Summary
| Tournament | Edition | Exact Match? | Heard | PPB | Easy % | Medium % | Hard % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 RMP Fest Online Mirror | 05/31/25 | Y | 4 | 20.00 | 100% | 75% | 25% |
| 2025 RMP Fest Carleton Mirror | 07/13/25 | Y | 2 | 20.00 | 100% | 100% | 0% |
| 2025 RMP Fest CO Mirror | 08/10/25 | Y | 6 | 15.00 | 100% | 50% | 0% |