What is the difference between 'logical' and 'ontological' distinctness?
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In papers I have written, for example in "A Process Explanation of the World" at http://www.philosophy.27south.comI have drawn a distinction between logical possibilities and
ontological possibilities. I have not encountered this distinction expressed in this way elsewhere, but it
may well have been. I have not encountered the phrase "logical and ontological distinctness" per se,
so can only assume it refers to the distinction I have drawn.
In my usage, a logical possibility applies to concepts that do not contain a self-contradiction. A
Unicorn is logically possible. There is nothing self-contradictory in the concept of a horse with a single
horn. But Unicorns do not exist in reality.
An ontological possibility is a real possibility. Something that is ontologically possible really exists if all
the conditions of its possibility are satisfied. I may have a fertile dog and a fertile bitch. A litter is a
logical possibility. It only becomes an ontological possibility if the condition of a successful mating is
satisfied.
A category mistake is made when something that is only logically possible is assumed to also be
ontologically possible. Multiple Universes are a case in point.