Causal counterfactuals without miracles or backtracking
Journal article
Gallow, J. Dmitri. (2022). Causal counterfactuals without miracles or backtracking. Philosophy and Phenomenological Research. pp. 1-31. https://doi.org/10.1111/phpr.12925
Authors | Gallow, J. Dmitri |
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Abstract | If the laws are deterministic, then standard theories of counterfactuals are forced to reject at least one of the following conditionals: 1) had you chosen differently, there would not have been a violation of the laws of nature; and 2) had you chosen differently, the initial conditions of the universe would not have been different. On the relevant readings—where we hold fixed factors causally independent of your choice—both of these conditionals appear true. And rejecting either one leads to trouble for philosophical theories which rely upon counterfactual conditionals—like, for instance, causal decision theory. Here, I outline a semantics for counterfactual conditionals which allows us to accept both (1) and (2). And I discuss how this semantics deals with objections to causal decision theory from Arif Ahmed. |
Year | 2022 |
Journal | Philosophy and Phenomenological Research |
Journal citation | pp. 1-31 |
Publisher | Wiley Periodicals |
ISSN | 0031-8205 |
Digital Object Identifier (DOI) | https://doi.org/10.1111/phpr.12925 |
Scopus EID | 2-s2.0-85142190939 |
Web address (URL) | https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/phpr.12925 |
Open access | Published as ‘gold’ (paid) open access |
Research or scholarly | Research |
Page range | 1-31 |
Publisher's version | License File Access Level Open |
Output status | Published |
Publication dates | |
Online | 14 Nov 2022 |
Publication process dates | |
Deposited | 23 May 2023 |
https://acuresearchbank.acu.edu.au/item/8z0y9/causal-counterfactuals-without-miracles-or-backtracking
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Publisher's version
OA_Gallow_2022_Causal_counterfactuals_without_miracles_or_backtracking.pdf | |
License: CC BY 4.0 | |
File access level: Open |
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