03326nam a22005175i 4500 978-3-031-65361-2 DE-He213 20251030112654.0 cr nn 008mamaa 240727s2024 sz | s |||| 0|eng d 9783031653612 978-3-031-65361-2 10.1007/978-3-031-65361-2 doi P101-120 CFA bicssc PHI038000 bisacsh CFA thema Sendłak, Maciej. author. aut http://id.loc.gov/vocabulary/relators/aut 81393 Wondering about the Impossible: On the Semantics of Counterpossibles [electronic resource] / by Maciej Sendłak. 1st ed. 2024. Cham : Springer International Publishing : Imprint: Springer, 2024. XIV, 192 p. online resource. text txt rdacontent computer c rdamedia online resource cr rdacarrier text file PDF rda Synthese Library, Studies in Epistemology, Logic, Methodology, and Philosophy of Science, 2542-8292 ; 487 Introduction -- 1. The Question of Counterpossibles -- 2. Inferentialism -- 3. Possible Worlds Semantics -- 4. Truthmaker Semantics -- 5. A Hybrid Approach -- Summary. This book provides an in-depth analysis of the nature and role of hypothetical reasoning about impossibilities. The interest in this subject stems from the simple observation that wondering is an inherent aspect of our experience. Whether one regrets choosing a taxicab over the subway or contemplates the outcome of an election turning out differently, the question 'What would have happened if...?' is a familiar one. While we often focus on possible scenarios, we also ponder impossible ones: What if whales were fish? What if a man could be in two places at once? What if one could draw a round square? Puzzles concerning such questions sparked a heated discussion over the nature and role of hypothetical reasoning about impossibilities. This book goes beyond being an opinionated introduction to this debate. After comparing various approaches to this issue, it proposes a novel perspective that draws on considerations from epistemology and the philosophy of explanation and dependence. Targeting researchers and students interested in the philosophy of modalities, this book delivers an in-depth analysis of a captivating and often overlooked aspect of human reasoning. Language and languages Philosophy. 73516 Logic. 70674 Philosophy of Language. 73518 Logic. 70674 SpringerLink (Online service) Springer Nature eBook Printed edition: 9783031653605 Printed edition: 9783031653629 Printed edition: 9783031653636 Synthese Library, Studies in Epistemology, Logic, Methodology, and Philosophy of Science, 2542-8292 ; 487 72350 https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-65361-2 ZDB-2-REP ZDB-2-SXPR 61971 61971