Gerald Bivens

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Definitions

'necessary condition'=df

A necessary condition is a condition that, if lacking, guarantees that a statement is false (or that a phenomenon will not occur). Thus, Fido's being an animal is a necessary condition for Fido's being a dog, for if Fido is not an animal, then he is not a dog. The consequent (then-clause) of a true conditional statement provides a necessary condition for the truth of the antecedent (if-clause).1

A necessary condition for some state of affairs S is a condition that must be satisfied in order for S to obtain.


For example, a necessary condition for getting an A in 341 is that a student hand in a term paper. This means that if a student does not hand in a term paper, then a student will not get an A, or, equivalently, if a student gets an A, then a student hands in a term paper.2

Notes

  1. Frances Howard-Snyder, The Power of Logic (City of publication: Publisher, Year published), Page range.
  2. "Necessary vs. Sufficient Conditions," accessed August 10, 2015, http://philosophy.wisc.edu/hausman/341/Skill/nec-suf.htm.