Adams Thesis and the Local Interpretation of Conditionals

Abstract

Adams' Thesis states that the probability of a conditional is the probability of the consequent conditional on the antecedent. S. Kaufmann introduced a rival method, the so-called ``local interpretation'', for calculating the probability of a conditional that, according to a purported majority, squares better with intuition in some circumstances. He also gives an example purporting to show that this new method sometimes corresponds to rational action. We challenge the intuitions and expose a mathematical error in the example. We also offer a model for the local interpretivist semantics. This model puts theoretical local interpretivists on ground as solid as that of Thesis abiders for whom conditionals have truth conditions.

Links

PhilArchive



    Upload a copy of this work     Papers currently archived: 92,991

External links

Setup an account with your affiliations in order to access resources via your University's proxy server

Through your library

  • Only published works are available at libraries.

Analytics

Added to PP
2018-11-02

Downloads
39 (#420,749)

6 months
6 (#588,321)

Historical graph of downloads
How can I increase my downloads?

Author's Profile

Randall G. McCutcheon
University of Memphis

Citations of this work

Bernoulli Semantics and Ordinal Semantics for Conditionals.Stefan Kaufmann - 2023 - Journal of Philosophical Logic 52 (1):199-220.

Add more citations

References found in this work

No references found.

Add more references