The problem of conditionals

Date

1970

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Abstract

This paper is devoted to the logical problem of conditionals. This is interpreted as the problem of formulating, in terms of simple non-modal logical notions, the general conditions for the truth of statements of the 'if...then---' form. It is argued in the first part of the paper that the compass of this analysis properly includes not only those conditionals expressed counter- factually with verbs in the subjunctive, but also those containing the verbs of the indicative. This view is defended through a series of arguments condensing in the conclusion that the appropriate mood for the verbs in a conditional is not determined by the kind of implication the writer or speaker claims between antecedent and consequent, but rather by opinion as to the probable truth or falsity of the antecedent. The second part of the paper is then given over to the search for a general definition for the truth of conditionals. An elaborate set of rules is finally formulated and claimed to provide an adequate analysis of the conditional. Difficulties shared by the problem of conditionals and that of explanation are mentioned, and it is suggested that counterexamples to earlier versions of the criterion for conditionals can be imitated to establish counterexamples to deductive-nomological models, and further that the necessary adjustments can be discovered in the strategies used to correct the conditional criterion.

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Keywords

Conditionals (Logic)

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