Norms and Necessity
Amie L. Thomasson
Reviews and Awards
"Norms and Necessity is an ambitious and important philosophical work, written in Thomasson's characteristically clear and lucid writing style. It is destined to have a huge impact not only on contemporary debates about modality, but also on our general self-understanding as philosophers." -- Sybren Heyndels, Philosophical Quarterly
"This is an excellent book. Thomasson's articulation and defense of modal expressivism is a significant and novel contribution to the metaphysics of modality, and a must-read for anyone interested in the topic." -- Karen Bennett, Rutgers University
"I read Norms and Necessity with high expectations. It managed to exceed them. It shows the same excellent qualities as Thomasson's earlier books - in other words, it is beautifully clear, very topical and well focussed, and always very well judged - but somehow to an even greater degree. It's an important book, and it will have a big impact." -- Huw Price, University of Cambridge
"Thomasson is a gifted writer and philosopher, with a distinctive voice and a forceful message. Norms and Necessity is important and timely, making a strong contribution to one of philosophy's central problems. In support of that verdict I would say that it is the clearest and best-researched work on the nature of modality--the philosophical problems surrounding notions of necessity and possibility--to appear since Saul Kripke and David Lewis put modality back into the centre of the philosophical landscape some fifty years ago. It marks a radical departure from the tradition that they inspired, which makes it especially important." -- Simon Blackburn, University of Cambridge (retired), and the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill