Single Idea 14269

[catalogued under 10. Modality / B. Possibility / 8. Conditionals / b. Types of conditional]

Full Idea

According to some theorists, the forward-looking 'indicatives' (those with a 'will' in the main clause) belong with the 'subjunctives' (those with a 'would' in the main clause), and not with the other 'indicatives'.

Gist of Idea

Maybe forward-looking indicatives are best classed with the subjunctives

Source

Dorothy Edgington (Conditionals (Stanf) [2006], 1)

Book Reference

'Stanford Online Encyclopaedia of Philosophy', ed/tr. Stanford University [plato.stanford.edu], p.2


A Reaction

[She cites Gibbard, Dudman and 1988 Bennett; Jackson defends the indicative/subjunctive division, and recent Bennett defends it too] It is plausible to say that 'If you will do x' is counterfactual, since it hasn't actually happened.

Related Idea

Idea 14270 Simple indicatives about past, present or future do seem to form a single semantic kind [Edgington]