I see counterfactual reasoning as the discipline of considering scenarios rather than isolated choices.
We often need to evaluate options when making a decision, and it is an error to consider only the choice - we should also consider the implications and effects of the choice. I am not choosing between two otherwise identical worlds in which I either do X or Y; I am choosing between the world which results from doing X or the world which results from doing Y. It is not just the choice that differs, it is the entire resulting scenario.
Similarly, when evaluating past decisions, it is an error to consider only the decision in question. We must... (read more)
I see counterfactual reasoning as the discipline of considering scenarios rather than isolated choices.
We often need to evaluate options when making a decision, and it is an error to consider only the choice - we should also consider the implications and effects of the choice. I am not choosing between two otherwise identical worlds in which I either do X or Y; I am choosing between the world which results from doing X or the world which results from doing Y. It is not just the choice that differs, it is the entire resulting scenario.
Similarly, when evaluating past decisions, it is an error to consider only the decision in question. We must... (read more)