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Conditional vs Counterfactual - What's the difference?

conditional | counterfactual |

As nouns the difference between conditional and counterfactual

is that conditional is a conditional sentence; a statement that depends on a condition being true or false while counterfactual is a claim, hypothesis, or other belief that is contrary to the facts.

As adjectives the difference between conditional and counterfactual

is that conditional is limited by a condition while counterfactual is contrary to the facts; untrue.

conditional

English

Alternative forms

* conditionall (obsolete)

Noun

(en noun)
  • (grammar) A conditional sentence; a statement that depends on a condition being true or false.
  • (grammar) The conditional mood.
  • (logic) A statement that one sentence is true if another is.
    • "A implies B" is a conditional .
  • * L. H. Atwater
    • Disjunctives may be turned into conditionals .
  • (computing, programming) An instruction that branches depending on the truth of a condition at that point.
    • if and while are conditionals in some programming languages.
  • (obsolete) A limitation.
    • (Francis Bacon)

    Synonyms

    * (in logic) if-then statement; material conditional

    Meronyms

    * (in logic) antecedent * (in logic) consequent

    Adjective

    (-)
  • Limited by a condition.
    • I made my son a conditional promise: I would buy him a bike if he kept his room tidy.
  • * Bishop Warburton
    • Every covenant of God with man may justly be made (as in fact it is made) with this conditional punishment annexed and declared.
  • (logic) Stating that one sentence is true if another is.
    • "A implies B" is a conditional statement.
  • * Whately
    • A conditional proposition is one which asserts the dependence of one categorical proposition on another.
  • (grammar) Expressing a condition or supposition.
    • a conditional word, mode, or tense

    Synonyms

    * conditioned * relative * limited * (in logic) hypothetical

    Antonyms

    * absolute * categorical * unconditional

    Derived terms

    * conditional entropy * conditional probability * conditional proof * conditional sentence

    counterfactual

    English

    (wikipedia counterfactual)

    Adjective

    (head)
  • Contrary to the facts; untrue.
  • * '>citation

    • Noun

    (en noun)
  • A claim, hypothesis, or other belief that is contrary to the facts.
  • (philosophy) A conditional statement in which the conditional clause is false, as "If I had arrived on time . . ."." counterfactual" in A Dictionary of Philosophical Terms and Names'' (Garth Kemerling, 1997-2002)''Random House Webster's Unabridged Electronic Dictionary (1987-1996)
  • * 1952', B. J. Diggs, "VI.—'''Counterfactual Conditionals," ''Mind , vol. 61, no. 244, page 513:
    • In recent years there has been increasing discussion of the "problem of counterfactuals ". One way of formulating this problem is as follows: "What is meant when one asserts a conditional statement, the antecedent of which is contrary to fact?"

    References