back to ideas for this text


Single Idea 14185

[from 'Formal and Material Consequence' by Stephen Read, in 10. Modality / B. Possibility / 8. Conditionals / d. Non-truthfunction conditionals ]

Full Idea

Truth enables us to carry various reports around under certain descriptions ('what Iain said') without all the bothersome detail. Similarly, conditionals enable us to transmit a record of proof without its detail.

Gist of Idea

Conditionals are just a shorthand for some proof, leaving out the details

Source

Stephen Read (Formal and Material Consequence [1994], 'Repres')

Book Reference

'Philosophy of Logic: an anthology', ed/tr. Jacquette,Dale [Blackwell 2002], p.244


A Reaction

This is his proposed Redundancy Theory of conditionals. It grows out of the problem with Modus Ponens mentioned in Idea 14184. To say that there is always an implied 'proof' seems a large claim.

Related Idea

Idea 14184 In modus ponens the 'if-then' premise contributes nothing if the conclusion follows anyway [Read]