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.
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.
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