We are happy to announce that the first talk of our LUCI Lab seminar series 2026 will be given by Sara Ugolini (IIIA – CSIC Barcelona) via Teams (please, see details below) on Wednesday February 18th, starting from 2:30 pm CET.

Title: Counterfactual conditionals: a logico-algebraic perspective

Abstract: A counterfactual conditional is a statement of the form “If A were the case, then B would be the case”, where the antecedent A is usually assumed to be false. Counterfactuals have been studied in different fields, such as philosophy, linguistics, and artificial intelligence.  The literature on conditionals is indeed vast; a most influential approach is given by the work of philosopher David Lewis, who, inspired by Stalnaker, introduced a hierarchy of logics for counterfactual conditionals, based on particular possible-world semantics. 

In this talk, we discuss how the discipline of algebraic logic, with its tools and techniques, can contribute to the analysis of counterfactuals. We start by showing how Lewis’s logics can be studied from the logico-algebraic perspective. We introduce their algebraic models, and we connect them to the initial possible-world models via duality-theoretic methods. Finally, we will see a different, purely logico-algebraic perspective on conditionals. Specifically, we will explore the conditional connective seen as a quotient operator in Boolean algebras. Interestingly, this intuitive approach will lead us back to the classical Lewis-Stalnaker models.

This talk, based on recent joint works with Tommaso Flaminio, Francesco Manfucci, and Giuliano Rosella, will be self-contained and will not assume any prior knowledge of algebraic logic or specialized technical background.

Microsoft Teams Meeting

Join at:https://teams.microsoft.com/meet/32127919038456?p=FjzFK6afyuDFtLt36a

Meeting ID: 321 279 190 384 56

Passcode: YT9y2Cp9

Anyone who is interested is welcome to join.