This essay considers Kant’s theory of modality in light of a debate in contemporary modal metaphysics and modal logic concerning the Barcan formulas. The comparison provides a new and fruitful perspective on Kant’s complex and sometimes confusing claims about possibility and necessity. Two central Kantian principles provide the starting point for the comparison: that the possible must be grounded in the actual and that existence is not a real predicate. Both are shown to be intimately connected to the Barcan formulas, and Kant’s views on what he distinguishes as three different kinds of modality are then considered in light of this connection.

中文翻译：

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康德的存在与形态：巴康的教训

本文根据当代模态形而上学和模态逻辑中关于巴康公式的争论来考虑康德的模态理论。这种比较为康德关于可能性和必然性的复杂且有时令人困惑的主张提供了一个新的和富有成果的视角。康德的两个核心原则为比较提供了起点：可能必须以实际为基础，存在不是真实的谓词。两者都被证明与巴康公式密切相关，然后根据这种联系考虑康德关于他区分为三种不同模态的观点。