Abstract
Consider the reasonable axioms of subjunctive conditionals (1) if p q 1 and p q 2 at some world, then p (q 1 & q 2) at that world, and (2) if p 1 q and p 2 q at some world, then (p 1 ∨ p 2) q at that world, where p q is the subjunctive conditional. I show that a Lewis-style semantics for subjunctive conditionals satisfies these axioms if and only if one makes a certain technical assumption about the closeness relation, an assumption that is probably false. I will then show how Lewisian semantics can be modified so as to assure (1) and (2) even when the technical assumption fails, and in fact in one sense the semantics actually becomes simpler then.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
D. Lewis, Counterfactuals. Malden, MA/Oxford: Blackwell (1973).
D. Lewis, ‘Counterfactual Dependence and Time’s Arrow’. Noûs 13 (1979) 455-476
A. R. Pruss, ‘The Cardinality Objection to David Lewis’s Modal Realism’. Philosophical Studies 104 (2001) 167-176
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Pruss, A.R. Conjunctions, Disjunctions and Lewisian Semantics for Counterfactuals. Synthese 156, 33–52 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11229-005-3487-3
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11229-005-3487-3