Counterfactual scorekeeping

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

110 Scopus citations

Abstract

Orthodoxy has it that counterfactuals cannot be treated as strict conditionals. But there is a loophole: if the strictness is a function of context then maybe they can be so treated. I argue for a loophole analysis that treats 'would'-counterfactuals as strict conditionals that are duals to 'might'- counterfactuals. Most of the work lies in getting straight about the interaction between context and semantic value. I treat it as a general feature of the dynamics of conversational score.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)329-360
Number of pages32
JournalLinguistics and Philosophy
Volume30
Issue number3
DOIs
StatePublished - Jun 2007
Externally publishedYes

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Philosophy
  • Linguistics and Language

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