What is an example of a counterfactual?

What is an example of a counterfactual?

A counterfactual explanation describes a causal situation in the form: “If X had not occurred, Y would not have occurred”. For example: “If I hadn’t taken a sip of this hot coffee, I wouldn’t have burned my tongue”. Event Y is that I burned my tongue; cause X is that I had a hot coffee.

What is the best definition of a counterfactual?

A counterfactual idea, assumption, or argument. noun. A counterfactual is defined as a statement that is not true.

What are counterfactuals used for?

Discussion. Present chiefly in historiography, a counterfactual is essentially a “what if?” thought experiment in relation to a given historical event or outcome. The main purpose of such an exercise is to evaluate the solidity of an explanation provided for a historical outcome.

What does counterfactual mean in research?

The ‘counterfactual’ measures what would have happened to beneficiaries in the absence of the intervention, and impact is estimated by comparing counterfactual outcomes to those observed under the intervention.

Are counterfactuals useful?

Counterfactuals serve a preparative function, and help people avoid past blunders. Counterfactual thinking also serves the affective function to make a person feel better. By comparing one’s present outcome to a less desirable outcome, the person may feel better about the current situation (1995).

Are counterfactuals real?

Counterfactuals were first discussed by Nelson Goodman as a problem for the material conditional used in classical logic. Because of these problems, early work such as that of W.V. Quine held that counterfactuals aren’t strictly logical, and do not make true or false claims about the world.

How do you use counterfactual?

A counterfactual thought occurs when a person modifies a factual prior event and then assesses the consequences of that change. A person may imagine how an outcome could have turned out differently, if the antecedents that led to that event were different.

What is a counterfactual in epidemiology?

1. The counterfactual concept is the basis of causal thinking in epidemiology and related fields. It provides the framework for many statistical procedures intended to estimate causal effects and demonstrates the limitations of observational data [10].

What is a counterfactual narrative?

Counterfactual narratives are a refreshing development in the writing of history. They put contingency back into history, and serve as a necessary antidote to traditional deterministic tendencies. They accomplish the reintroduction of experimental ele- ments into academic approaches to history.

What is a counterfactual claim?

counterfactual (plural counterfactuals) A claim, hypothesis, or other belief that is contrary to the facts. A hypothetical state of the world, used to assess the impact of an action. quotations ▼ (linguistics, philosophy) A conditional statement in which the conditional clause is false.

What are counterfactuals in epidemiology?

Can counterfactuals be observed?

A potential outcome is the outcome that would be realized if the individual received a specific value of the treatment. For each particular individual, one can generally observe only one, but not both, of the two potential outcomes. The unobserved outcome is called the “counterfactual” outcome.