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Saturday, February 6, 2010

Grice on cæteris paribus

Grice thought that Davidson had gone over the top.

"It is raining"

Davidson claimed, had to be rewritten in its deep logical form as

ATC, it is raining.

where ATC stands for 'all things considered'.

Grice found that otiose: "Surely it follows from my maxims that to any "p", the addition of 'caeteris paribus' is implicated".

Etc.

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1601 T. WRIGHT Passions Pref. A4b,

Yet my meaning is alwayes cæteris paribus, because [etc.].

1690 LOCKE Govt. II. §105. 325

Cæteris paribus, they commonly prefer the Heir of their deceased King.

1751 CHESTERFIELD Lett. (1774) II. 124

And cæteris paribus, a French minister will get the better of an English
one, at any third court in Europe.

1887 W. J. HARRIS in Nat. Rev. Dec. 454

The wonder is that France is not in a far worse state than ourselves. Cæteris
paribus, she ought to be, with her unsettled government [etc.].

1964 Economist 29 Aug. 828/2

That comfortable hold-all, ceteris paribus.

Etc.

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