God − Moore = Ramsey (A Reply to Chalmers and Hájek)

• Published in: Topoi Vol. 30; no. 1; pp. 47 - 51
• Main Author: Leitgeb, Hannes
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Dordrecht Springer Netherlands 01.04.2011; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Education; Hypotheses; Philosophy; Philosophy of Science; Philosophy of Technology; Probability; Qualitative research; Ramsey test; Conditionals; Moore; Introspection
• ISSN: 0167-7411; 1572-8749
• DOI: 10.1007/s11245-010-9088-x

Famously, Frank P. Ramsey suggested a test for the acceptability of conditionals. Recently, David Chalmers and Alan Hájek (2007) have criticized a qualitative variant of the Ramsey test for indicative conditionals. In this paper we argue for the following three claims: (i) Chalmers and Hájek are right that the variant of the Ramsey test that they attack is not the correct way of spelling out an acceptability test for indicative conditionals. But there is a suppositional variant of the Ramsey test which is still stated in purely qualitative terms, which avoids the problems, and which looks correct. (ii) While the variant of the Ramsey test that Chalmers and Hájek criticize is not correct, it is still a good approximation of a correct formulation of the Ramsey test which may be usefully employed in various contexts. (iii) The variant of the Ramsey test that Chalmers and Hájek suggest as a substitute for the deficient version of the Ramsey test is itself subject to worries similar to those raised by Chalmers and Hájek, if it is given a non-suppositional interpretation.