Single Idea 8948

[catalogued under 10. Modality / B. Possibility / 8. Conditionals / c. Truth-function conditionals]

Full Idea

According to Grice, it is the rules that govern conversation beyond the merely logical that account for the counter-intuitiveness of the truth table for the material conditional.

Gist of Idea

The odd truth table for material conditionals is explained by conversational conventions

Source

report of H. Paul Grice (Logic and Conversation [1975]) by Jennifer Fisher - On the Philosophy of Logic 8.I

Book Reference

Fisher,Jennifer: 'On the Philosophy of Logic' [Thomson Wadsworth 2008], p.109


A Reaction

There is a conversational rule which says that replies should normally relevant to context. It would be nice if logical implications were also relevant to context.