possibilitos

Possibilitos is a neologism used in philosophy and speculative fiction to refer to entities that exist only under certain possibilities. The term is informal and its meaning varies by author, without a fixed ontological commitment.

In theoretical discussions, possibilitos function as placeholders for individuals whose existence depends on the truth of modal propositions. They are not asserted to exist in the actual world, but they help illuminate reference, identity, and persistence across possible worlds. A possibilito may bear different properties in different worlds and may cease to exist if the world’s conditions change.

In ethics and metaphysics, possibilitos are sometimes employed to explore questions about moral considerability and responsibility for beings that could have existed under alternative circumstances. By examining how such beings would fare under various scenarios, philosophers can probe which features ground moral status and how rights or duties might shift with context.

In literature and media, the term appears in world-building or critical discussions to describe sentient or autonomous agents that inhabit potential futures or alternate timelines. Writers may use possibilitos to discuss branching narratives, counterfactual histories, or the ethics of intervention across possible worlds.

Critics note that the term has limited formal status and can introduce ambiguity without precise definitions. Some scholars prefer more established terminology from possible-world semantics, such as counterpart theory or modal logic, to avoid conflating different notions of possibility and existence.

See also: possible world, modal logic, counterfactual, counterpart theory.