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Originally Posted by MrPedantic Hmm. I suppose the main clause in every 'cause and effect' IF statement can be re-presented as a conclusion; but I'm not sure that every 'epistemic' IF embodies a cause and effect:
1. If there's a lot of traffic, he's always late => he's late, so I conclude that there's a lot of traffic.
(Which may be invalid.)
MrP (or Q) |
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1. If there's a lot of traffic, he's always late => he's late, so I conclude that there's a lot of traffic.
(Which may be invalid.)
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That it may be invalid, to me, is not relevant. What is relevant here is the speaker's point of view based on his or her knowledge of the circumstance and all those involved.
We're not talking about what is actually true, but what the speaker believes to be real and true.
Joe knows Jen very well. He knows Jen is always on time and drives carefully.
"If Jens late, she's stuck in traffic," said Joe.