ABSTRACT
We can approach the topic of necessity and meaning by distinguishing three kinds of view about the relationship between modality-taken to include modal properties like necessity and possibility, and modal objects such as possible worlds and possibilia-and meaning. The first holds that modality is are rather mysterious and the best way to explain it (both metaphysically and epistemically) is in terms of more fundamental and accessible meaning properties. A famous example of this kind of view is the Linguistic Doctrine of Necessary Truth, according to which all necessary truth is to be explained in terms of analyticity (Ayer, 1936; Hempel, 1945; Goodman, 1955; Carnap, 1958).
