Research Group
in Analytic Philosophy

Abstract

Recently, Kolodny & MacFarlane (2010) have proposed a new counterexample to modus ponens, which bears interesting relations to the classic counterexample by McGee (1985). By way of resolving the issue, I will see how the potential counterexamples can be analysed on the restrictor view of conditionals. The proposed resolution saves modus ponens by denying that the alleged counterexamples are proper instances of modus ponens. However, this solution poses the question whether there are any genuine instances of modus ponens on this view. To handle this problem, I will focus on the semantics of simple conditionals and develop a framework in which the validity of modus ponens can be addressed (and affirmed).