Counterfactual conditional

A counterfactual conditional (abbreviated CF), is a subjunctive conditional containing an if-clause that is contrary to fact. The term counterfactual was coined by Nelson Goodman in 1947, extending Roderick Chisholm's (1946) notion of a "contrary-to-fact conditional". The study of counterfactual speculation has increasingly engaged the interest of scholars in a wide range of domains such as philosophy, psychology, cognitive psychology, history, political science, economics, social psychology, law, organizational theory, marketing, and epidemiology. In 1748, when defining causation, David Hume referred to a counterfactual case: