Import-Export and 'And'
Matthew Mandelkern
July 2018 

Abstract Import-Export says that a conditional of the form 'p > (q > r)' is always equivalent to the corresponding conditional '(p∧q) > r'. I argue that Import-Export does not sit well with a classical approach to conjunction: given some plausible and widely accepted principles about conditionals, Import-Export together with classical conjunction leads to absurd consequences. My main goal is to draw out these surprising connections. In concluding, I argue that the best response to these facts is to reject Import-Export and adopt instead a limited version of that principle which better fits natural language data, still accounts for the intuitions that motivate Import-Export, and sits more easily with a classical conjunction.

Format:	[ pdf ]
Reference:	lingbuzz/003990 (please use that when you cite this article)
Published in:	Philosophy and Phenomenological Review
keywords:	conditionals, import-export, conjunction, semantics
previous versions:	v1 [April 2018]
Downloaded:	440 times

 

[ edit this article | back to article list ]