Single Idea 13857

[catalogued under 10. Modality / B. Possibility / 6. Probability]

Full Idea

How likely is a fair die landing on an even number to land six? My approach is, assume an even number, so three possibilities, one a six, so 'one third'; the truth-functional approach is it's true if it is not-even or six, so 'two-thirds'.

Gist of Idea

Truth-functional possibilities include the irrelevant, which is a mistake

Source

Dorothy Edgington (Do Conditionals Have Truth Conditions? [1986], 3)

Book Reference

'A Philosophical Companion to First-Order Logic', ed/tr. Hughes,R.I.G. [Hackett 1993], p.36


A Reaction

The point is that in the truth-functional approach, if the die lands not-even, then the conditional comes out as true, when she says it should be irrelevant. She seems to be right about this.