“
This paper wants to know whether it would exist, or could exist, in worlds in which I didn’t write it. Before we can answer this question, we first of all have to inquire as to what, exactly, this paper is. After exploring two forms of Platonism (pure and impure), and a theory that defines literary works in terms of events, I shall argue that the term ‘this paper’ is actually infected with ambiguity. Does this paper need me? It depends upon what you mean by ‘this paper’. I lay out the options for what you might mean, and answer the question for each of the options.”
See: ‘Would this paper exist if I hadn’t written it?’ by Dr. Samuel Lebens (of the Rutgers Center for the Philosophy of Religion, The State University of New Jersey, US) It’s scheduled for publication in a forthcoming print issue of the journal Philosophical Studies :
“The principal aim [of which] is to publish articles that are models of clarity and precision in dealing with significant philosophical issues.”