A Study On Stephen Read’s Interpretation Of Ramsey Test

In the study of conditional logic,conditional paradox has absorbed lots of researchers’ concentration.Underlying classical logic,some logic valid conditionals violates our intuitive.To overcome the condition paradox,the logicians invented a series of implications,such as strict implication,relevant implication and so on,but failed to get rid of the problems which classical logic brings to the conditional.Until 1929,the famous English mathematician and philosopher,logician and economist F.P.Ramsey in the ‘General Propositions and Causality ’given new explanation of the conditional--The Ramsey Test.He brought the subjective probability into the conditional,and then opened a new way to solve the conditional problem.It is a pity that his words about The Ramsey Test are only a few footnotes.Because of The Ramsey Test is not clear,then there are three interpretations: truth-functional,probability theroetical and the possible world semantics.This paper clarifies the classification of conditionals and finds what lead to the three interpretations of the Ramsey Test,and then along Stephen Read’s the possible world semantics,author tries to elaborate Ramsey test analysis,furtherly,compare the others’ two interpretations,and then display the advantages of Read’s idea.This paper responds the critics for Read from others.The main content of this paper is as follows.Firstly,we introduce the applications of conditional paradox and of The Ramsey Test,and the early development of Ramsey Test.We summarize the conditionals of different kinds appearing in this paper,e.g.indicative condition,subjunctive condition.For different conditionals,we need to find out the principal causes of conditional paradox respectively:(1)arbitrary proposition implies true proposition,(2)false proposition implies any proposition.We explain Ramsey Test,and give the reason for leading to lots of interpretations is that every interpretation is not suitable for the biconditional of the Ramsey Test K*A.We describe two kinds of early interpretations of The Ramsey Test: truth-functional and probability theoretical,to draw out Read’s the possible world semantics interpretation.Secondly,through criticizing probability interpretation and arguing the defects of truth-functional interpretation,we defense the standpoint of value condition,which leads to Read’s possible world semantics interpretation.Furtherly,we show Read’s interpretation of the Ramsey Test can successfully chose the conditional.After arguing Read’s agreement with David Lewis’ triviality results to counter the "conditional probability = condition probability ",we evaluate Read’s critics for Edgington’s "the conditional has neither true value condition nor true value",and then defend that the conditional has true value.Continually,we argue the defects of the true value function,including invalid inference rule,and then show Read’s possible world semantics interpretation of Ramsey Test,and validated that his interpretation can solve the conditional paradox,namely,ruling out conditional whose antecedent is true but there is no relevant between the antecedent and consequent,conditional whose antecedent is true but consequent is false,conditional whose antecedent is impossible.Finally,we evaluate Read’s possible world semantics of Ramsey Test.Firstly,we compare Read’s possible world semantics interpretation and Robert Stalnaker’s possible world semantics interpretation,so that high light the advantage of Read’s interpretation.And then,we elaborate some problems of Read’s interpretation,especially Edgington’s criticism on Read’s interpretation.At last,we evaluate Read’s Possible world semantics interpretation.Read explains on the Ramsey Test may not fully restore the intent of the Ramsey test,but this does not affect Read’s contribution to the problem in resolving the conditionals.Read using the possible world semantics to avoid conditionals satires as Ramsey introduce subjective probability to solve the problem of conditionals attempt to do the same,are to be closer after the logical description of conditional sentence of conditionals in natural language semantics.