Comments on Theories of Subjunctive Conditionals
Author：Wen-Fang Wang
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This paper explains and comments on the most important theories of subjunctive conditionals from 1940s to 1970s. These include cotenability theory, strict conditional theory, world selection semantics, class selection semantics and sphere semantics. I refute cotenability theory, strict conditional theory and world selection semantics as inadequate, while argue that some versions of class selection semantics or sphere semantics are the best semantic theories among all that we have seen for subjunctive conditionals. Accordingly, I also argue that Lewis’s VW is the most satisfactory logic system for subjunctive conditionals among all the systems we have checked. In the final part of the paper, I point out some applications of these semantic theory to fiction discourse, definite descriptions and topics in philosophy of science.