identity of indiscernibles
E92351
The identity of indiscernibles is a metaphysical principle, associated with Leibniz, stating that no two distinct entities can share all the same properties.
Observed surface forms (1)
| Surface form | Occurrences |
|---|---|
| Leibniz’s Law | 1 |
Statements (47)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
metaphysical principle
ⓘ
philosophical principle ⓘ principle of identity ⓘ |
| alsoKnownAs |
identity of indiscernibles
ⓘ
surface form:
Leibniz’s Law
principle of the identity of indiscernibles ⓘ |
| associatedWith | Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz ⓘ |
| concerns |
distinguishability of entities
ⓘ
identity conditions of objects ⓘ |
| contrastsWith | indiscernibility of identicals ⓘ |
| criticizedBy |
Max Black
ⓘ
Willard Van Orman Quine ⓘ
surface form:
W. V. O. Quine
|
| dependsOn |
notion of property
ⓘ
notion of qualitative property ⓘ |
| field |
metaphysics
ⓘ
philosophy of language ⓘ philosophy of logic ⓘ philosophy of physics ⓘ |
| hasFamousExample | Max Black’s two identical spheres thought experiment ⓘ |
| hasFormulation | for all x and y, if for every property P, P(x) iff P(y), then x = y ⓘ |
| hasInterpretation |
as a contingent principle in some physical theories
ⓘ
as a metaphysical necessity ⓘ |
| hasVariant |
strong identity of indiscernibles
ⓘ
weak identity of indiscernibles ⓘ |
| holdsIn | many classical metaphysical systems ⓘ |
| implies | if two entities share all properties, they are identical ⓘ |
| influenced |
analytic metaphysics
ⓘ
philosophy of science ⓘ |
| logicalStatus | second-order principle ⓘ |
| opposedBy | haecceitism ⓘ |
| questionedIn |
quantum mechanics
ⓘ
statistical mechanics ⓘ |
| relatedConcept |
Discourse on Metaphysics
ⓘ
surface form:
Leibnizian metaphysics
haecceity ⓘ individuation ⓘ modal metaphysics ⓘ numerical identity ⓘ possible worlds ⓘ principle of sufficient reason ⓘ qualitative identity ⓘ |
| relatedPrinciple |
law of identity
ⓘ
law of non-contradiction ⓘ |
| statedAs | no two distinct entities can share all the same properties ⓘ |
| status | controversial principle ⓘ |
| supportsView | anti-haecceitism ⓘ |
| timeScope | applies across possible worlds in modal formulations ⓘ |
| usedInArgument |
arguments about individuality in quantum theory
ⓘ
arguments for the necessity of identity ⓘ |
Referenced by (2)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.
this entity surface form:
Leibniz’s Law