Abstract
In this paper, I argue that it is reasonable and useful for one who has adopted a certain conception of possible worlds theory, to extend that theory until it becomes a version of situation theory.
This is an expanded version of a paper prepared for a symposium at the July 1985 ASL Meeting at CSLI. Certain examples reflect the fact that the paper was originally prepared to be read to an audience. The thoughts recorded here reflect many conversations over a period of years with Jon Barwise on the topics of situation theory and possible worlds, as well as participation in a seminar on Inquiry with John Etchemendy, Bob Moore, David Israel, Ned Block, and others.
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Notes
Cambridge, Mass: The MIT Press, 1984.
Jon Barwise and John Perry, Situations and Attitudes, Cambridge, Mass: The MIT Press, 1983.
For Lewis’s view, see his Counterfactuals, Oxford: Blackwells, 1973. In addition to Stalnaker’s criticisms, one should consult Robert M. Adams. ‘Theories of Actuality’, Noûs 5, (1974), 211–231.
See Jon Barwise, ‘The Situation in Logic — II: Conditionals and Conditional Information’, Report No. CSLI-85–21, 1985, for a discussion of mathematical conditionals, and the problems raised for the doctrine that there are only two propositions for mathematical statements to express.
See Situations and Attitudes, part IV.
Jon Barwise. ‘The Situation in Logic — II: Conditionals and Conditional Information’, Report No. CSLI-85–21, 1985. ‘The Situation in Logic — III: Situations, Sets and the Axiom of Foundation’, Report No. CSLI-85–26, 1985. ‘Situation Theory Reference Manual’, unpublished draft, 1985.
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© 1986 Kluwer Academic Publishers
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Perry, J. (1986). From Worlds to Situations. In: Kulas, J., Fetzer, J.H., Rankin, T.L. (eds) Philosophy, Language, and Artificial Intelligence. Studies in Cognitive Systems, vol 2. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-2727-8_11
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-2727-8_11
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