Counterfactuals and Arbitrariness

Research output: Contribution to journalResearch articleContributedpeer-review

Abstract

The pattern of credences we are inclined to assign to counterfactuals challenges standard accounts of counterfactuals. In response to this prob- lem, the paper develops a semantics of counterfactuals in terms of the epsilon-operator. The proposed semantics stays close to the standard ac- count: the epsilon-operator substitutes the universal quantifier present in standard semantics by arbitrarily binding the open world-variable. Various applications of the suggested semantics are explored including, in particu- lar, an explanation of how the puzzling credences in counterfactuals come about.

Details

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1021-1055
Number of pages34
JournalMind
Volume123
Publication statusPublished - 2014
Peer-reviewedYes

External IDs

Scopus 84925383995
ORCID /0000-0002-9962-2074/work/142234599

Keywords