Remote possibilities in branching time structures.

To analyse contingent propositions, this paper investigates how branching time structures can be combined with probability theory. In particular, it considers assigning infinitesimal probabilities—available in non-Archimedean probability theory—to individual histories. This allows us to introduce th...

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Publicado en:Synthese Vol. 204; no. 2; pp. 1 - 29
Autor principal: Wenmackers, Sylvia
Formato: Artículo
Publicado: Springer Nature Aug2024
Acceso en línea:Ver este registro en EBSCOhost
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        au: Wenmackers, Sylvia
        affil: https://ror.org/05f950310 Centre for Logic and Philosophy of Science, Institute of Philosophy, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
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      keyword:
        Future contingents
        Historical counterfactuals
        Infinitesimals
        Modality
        Probability theory
      ab: To analyse contingent propositions, this paper investigates how branching time structures can be combined with probability theory. In particular, it considers assigning infinitesimal probabilities—available in non-Archimedean probability theory—to individual histories. This allows us to introduce the concept of ‘remote possibility’ as a new modal notion between ‘impossibility’ and ‘appreciable possibility’. The proposal is illustrated by applying it to a future contingent and a historical counterfactual concerning an infinite sequence of coin tosses. The latter is a toy model that is used to illustrate the applicability of the proposal to more realistic physical models.
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    language: English
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