On the Logic of Ordinary Conditionals

By Robert N. McLaughlin

Subjects: Philosophy, Language
Series: SUNY series in Logic and Language
Paperback : 9780791402948, 202 pages, July 1990
Hardcover : 9780791402931, 202 pages, July 1990

Alternative formats available from:

Table of contents

Preface

Acknowledgments

1 Introduction

2 Singular Conditionals

3 General Conditionals

4 Conventions

5 Confirmation

6 The Logic of Logical Statements

Appendix

Notes

Index

Description

On the Logic of Ordinary Conditionals offers a formal treatment of the logic of a type of conditional found in natural speech which differs substantially from the material conditional of propositional logic and from the conditionals afforded by theories of possible worlds. Conventional and necessary conditionals are studied as well as factual ones.

Reviews

"The book is clearly written, and exhibits a familiarity with much of the recent, massive literature on the topic. The book is of considerable interest for two reasons. First, the topic of the conditional emerges as problematic in even the most elementary presentation of logic, and second, at the highest levels of philosophy the topic is a substantive problem in the philosophy of logic and metaphysics. This work is extremely useful because of its accessible, straightforward treatment of the major problems of the conditional. The theory of the logic of the 'ordinary' conditional proposed in the text is indeed insightful and original. " — Randall R. Dipert, State University of New York