On linking dispositions and which conditionals?

Vetter B (2012)


Publication Language: English

Publication Type: Journal article

Publication year: 2012

Journal

Pages Range: 1173-1189

Journal Issue: 120

DOI: 10.1093/mind/fzr077

Abstract

Manley and Wasserman (2008) have provided a convincing case against analyses of dispositions in terms of one conditional, and a very interesting positive proposal that links any disposition to a ‘suitable proportion’ of a particular set of precise conditionals. I focus on their positive proposal and ask just how precise those conditionals are to be. I argue that, contrary to what Manley and Wasserman imply in their paper, they must be maximally specific, describing in their antecedents complete centred worlds. This suggests a natural semantics for dispositional expressions, which I briefly explore to argue that it lacks uniformity. I end by suggesting a variation on Manley and Wasserman's view which would preserve uniformity, though at the cost of some new puzzling questions.

Authors with CRIS profile

How to cite

APA:

Vetter, B. (2012). On linking dispositions and which conditionals? Mind, 120, 1173-1189. https://dx.doi.org/10.1093/mind/fzr077

MLA:

Vetter, Barbara. "On linking dispositions and which conditionals?" Mind 120 (2012): 1173-1189.

BibTeX: Download