more from Trenton Merricks

Single Idea 14417

[catalogued under 10. Modality / B. Possibility / 9. Counterfactuals]

Full Idea

A counterfactual is not appropriately about the way anything is, …but about how something would be, had other things differed from how they actually are. As a result, true counterfactuals have neither truthmakers nor a superveniece base.

Gist of Idea

Counterfactuals aren't about actuality, so they lack truthmakers or a supervenience base

Source

Trenton Merricks (Truth and Ontology [2007], 7.IV)

Book Reference

Merricks,Trenton: 'Truth and Ontology' [OUP 2007], p.166


A Reaction

Might not the truthmakers for counterfactuals reside in the dispositional facts about actuality? We assess the truth of counterfactuals in degrees, so something must determine our views.