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    The Stalnaker-Lewis theory of counterfactuals cannot adeq... — Carmelics
    Home/Modality & Possibility
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    The Stalnaker-Lewis theory of counterfactuals cannot adequately evaluate counterfactuals that would represent backward causation.

    CausationModality & Possibility
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    1 reason against

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    Reasons For

    2 perspectives
    Reason for 1 of 2
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    • 1.Lewis's similarity metric for possible worlds privileges spatiotemporal continuity and local miracles, which structurally presupposes forward temporal asymmetry.
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    • 2.David Lewis explicitly built the asymmetry of overdetermination into his account, meaning the framework treats past events as fixed by definition, not discovery.
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    • 3.Any world where backward causation holds requires reconceiving the similarity metric itself, making the theory question-begging against backward causation from the outset.
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    Reason for 2 of 2
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    • 1.Price and Dowe argue that causal counterfactuals require a notion of intervention, and interventions on future causes of past effects are incoherent under standard agency theories.
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    • 2.The Stalnaker-Lewis framework cannot distinguish between a backtracking counterfactual and a genuine backward-causal counterfactual, collapsing a crucial explanatory distinction.
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    Reasons Against

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    • 1.The Stalnaker-Lewis theory evaluates counterfactuals by stipulating that the closest possible world is identical to the actual world up to the time of the antecedent event c.
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    • 2.If event e occurs before event c, then any possible world identical to the actual world up to c necessarily includes the occurrence of e.
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    • 3.Therefore, there is no possible world closer to the actual world that includes c but not e.
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    Topics

    Modality & PossibilityCausation

    Related

    A true counterfactual representation of backward causation requires that the clo...Any world where backward causation holds requires reconceiving the similarity me...David Lewis explicitly built the asymmetry of overdetermination into his account...If event e occurs before event c, then any possible world identical to the actua...
    +6 moreShow less
    Lewis's similarity metric for possible worlds privileges spatiotemporal continui...Price and Dowe argue that causal counterfactuals require a notion of interventio...The Stalnaker-Lewis framework cannot distinguish between a backtracking counterf...The Stalnaker-Lewis theory cannot deliver a closest-world evaluation in which c ...The Stalnaker-Lewis theory evaluates counterfactuals by stipulating that the clo...Therefore, there is no possible world closer to the actual world that includes c...

    Similar

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    Source

    AI-extracted1/3 agreementValid
    SEP: causation-backwards
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    However, and more importantly in the present context, is that Stalnaker-Lewis’ theory of counterfactuals has difficulties with backtracking counterfactuals and backward causation because if \(c\) occurs later than \(e\), the proposed method of truth evaluation assumes that \(e\) occurs in the relevant possible worlds in which \(c\) does not occur. In general, the assessment of a counterfactual conditional is carried out by assuming that the possible world must be identical with the actual world
    Extraction notes

    Validity: Extracted via Max plan + API grounding/validity checks

    Details

    Type
    claim
    Perspectives
    3 (2 for, 1 against)
    Edits
    1 edit