Skip to content
Carmelics
TopicsThinkersChangesContributorsLoading account…

    Carmelics

    A reasoning platform. Break down any belief into clear reasons, explore both sides, and weigh the evidence honestly.

    Navigate

    • Topics
    • Search
    • Recent Changes
    • Contribute
    • How It Works
    • Glossary
    • Thinkers
    • Contributors
    • About
    • Statistics
    • Terms
    • Privacy

    Database

    Statements
    —
    Perspectives
    —
    Topics
    —

    Press ? for keyboard shortcuts

    LoyalLoyalJusticeJustice
    Made withinDC&Austin
    Statements
    321,452
    Perspectives
    108,905
    Topics
    42
    If the conditional's truth is indexed to actual co-obtain... — Carmelics
    Home
    HistoryEditSee Inverse

    Part of a larger discussion

    Challenges→The proposition 'Always, if every A is B, then every C is D' implies 'Never, if every A is B, then not every C is D'

    If the conditional's truth is indexed to actual co-obtaining states rather than all possible worlds, the negation of the consequent in counterfactual antecedent-conditions does not contradict the original proposition.

    ?Rate how convincing each reason is below to see the overall strength.
    1 reason for
    1 reason against

    Reasons For

    1 perspective
    Reason for
    ?
    • 1.Counterfactuals describe non-actual scenarios, so indexing truth to actual states avoids false contradictions between actual facts and hypothetical denials.
      ?

      Think about whether this reason is strong or weak

    • 2.Material conditionals evaluated at actual-world truth-values alone better preserve logical consistency when antecedents are counterfactually false.
      ?

      Think about whether this reason is strong or weak

    • 3.Restricting truth-conditions to co-obtaining actual states prevents vacuous truth of conditionals with impossible antecedents, improving logical utility.
      ?

      Think about whether this reason is strong or weak

    Reasons Against

    1 perspective
    Reason against
    ?
    • 1.Counterfactual conditionals are standardly analyzed via possible-worlds semantics, where truth depends on consequents holding in accessible antecedent-worlds.
      ?

      Think about whether this reason is strong or weak

    • 2.Indexing conditional truth only to actual states leaves counterfactuals without truth-conditions when antecedents and consequents diverge from reality.
      ?

      Think about whether this reason is strong or weak

    • 3.The view conflates contradicting what happened with contradicting what the original proposition claims, creating equivocation about scope of negation.
      ?

      Think about whether this reason is strong or weak

    Sign in or register to share your perspective on this statement.

    Next step

    Based on where you are in your exploration

    Strongest counterpoint
    Explore the most compelling reason on the other side.

    Key Terms

    Antecedent(referring to causal conditions that would exist before Plato's decision)
    Something that comes before something else in time; in this case, an earlier event or cause.
    Consequent(as used in logic)
    The 'then' part of an if-then statement—the result that follows from the condition.
    actual co-obtaining states(in metaphysics)
    Real situations where multiple things are happening at the same time—'actual' means really existing, and 'co-obtaining' means existing together.
    conditional(no-truth-value account of conditionals)
    A statement of the form 'if A, B' that involves the supposition that A and tells us nothing about what happens if A is false
    contradict / contradiction(in logic)
    When two statements cannot both be true at the same time—like saying 'it's raining' and 'it's not raining' simultaneously.
    counterfactual(Modal logic and epistemology)
    A conditional statement concerning what would be the case if some antecedent condition were true, evaluated across possible worlds; contraposition does not hold in general for counterfactuals.
    negation(Standard truth conditions for logical negation, used as the basis for arguments against dialetheism)
    ¬A is true if and only if A is not true
    possible worlds(Leibniz's modal semantics, anticipating contemporary possible-worlds semantics)
    Worlds that have existence in a tenuous sense; fictional worlds used to characterize the nature of possibles that are never actualized
    truth value / indexed to(in logic)
    Whether a statement is true or false, and 'indexed to' means we're measuring that truth against a specific reference point (like actual situations rather than imaginary ones).

    Connections

    2 topics

    Truth & Knowledge1 linkedPhilosophy of Language1 linked

    Related

    Counterfactual conditionals are standardly analyzed via possible-worlds semantic...Counterfactuals describe non-actual scenarios, so indexing truth to actual state...

    Details

    Type
    claim
    Perspectives
    2 (1 for, 1 against)
    Edits
    1 edit
    Indexing conditional truth only to actual states leaves counterfactuals without ...
    Material conditionals evaluated at actual-world truth-values alone better preser...
    +3 moreShow less
    Restricting truth-conditions to co-obtaining actual states prevents vacuous trut...The proposition 'Always, if every A is B, then every C is D' implies 'Never, if ...The view conflates contradicting what happened with contradicting what the origi...