Skip to main content

Lund University Publications

LUND UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES

McGee's Counterexample to the Ramsey Test

Cantwell, John ; Lindström, Sten and Rabinowicz, Wlodek LU (2017) In Theoria: a Swedish Journal of Philosophy 83(2). p.154-168
Abstract
Vann McGee has proposed a counterexample to the Ramsey Test. In the counterexample, a seemingly trustworthy source has testified that p and that if not-p, then q. If one subsequently learns not-p (and so learns that the source is wrong about p), then one has reason to doubt the trustworthiness of the source (perhaps even the identity of the source) and so, the argument goes, one has reason to doubt the conditional asserted by the source. Since what one learns is that the antecedent of the conditional holds, these doubts are contrary to the Ramsey Test. We argue that the counterexample fails. It rests on a principle of testimonial dependence that is not applicable when a source hedges his or her claims.
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Ramsey Test, conditionals, counterexample
in
Theoria: a Swedish Journal of Philosophy
volume
83
issue
2
pages
15 pages
publisher
Thales
external identifiers
  • scopus:85016737046
  • wos:000402174600005
ISSN
0040-5825
DOI
10.1111/theo.12115
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
be79cfa0-5cbc-4236-b0a8-dff44c97fd58
date added to LUP
2017-03-24 13:34:15
date last changed
2022-03-09 01:54:40
@article{be79cfa0-5cbc-4236-b0a8-dff44c97fd58,
  abstract     = {{Vann McGee has proposed a counterexample to the Ramsey Test. In the counterexample, a seemingly trustworthy source has testified that p and that if not-p, then q. If one subsequently learns not-p (and so learns that the source is wrong about p), then one has reason to doubt the trustworthiness of the source (perhaps even the identity of the source) and so, the argument goes, one has reason to doubt the conditional asserted by the source. Since what one learns is that the antecedent of the conditional holds, these doubts are contrary to the Ramsey Test. We argue that the counterexample fails. It rests on a principle of testimonial dependence that is not applicable when a source hedges his or her claims.}},
  author       = {{Cantwell, John and Lindström, Sten and Rabinowicz, Wlodek}},
  issn         = {{0040-5825}},
  keywords     = {{Ramsey Test; conditionals; counterexample}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{2}},
  pages        = {{154--168}},
  publisher    = {{Thales}},
  series       = {{Theoria: a Swedish Journal of Philosophy}},
  title        = {{McGee's Counterexample to the Ramsey Test}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/theo.12115}},
  doi          = {{10.1111/theo.12115}},
  volume       = {{83}},
  year         = {{2017}},
}