Definition:Conditional

Definition
The conditional or implication is a binary connective:
 * $p \implies q$

defined as:
 * If $p$ is true, then $q$ is true.

This is known as a conditional statement.

A conditional statement is also known as a conditional proposition or just a conditional.

$p \implies q$ is voiced:
 * if $p$ then $q$

or:
 * $p$ implies $q$

We are at liberty to write this the other way round. $q \impliedby p$ means the same as $p \implies q$.

$q \impliedby p$ is sometimes known as a reverse implication.

The rest of this article interprets the conditional in its usual mathematical sense.

That is, $p \implies q$ is considered to be true whenever:
 * $p$ is false

or:
 * $q$ is true.

This interpretation of implication is called logical implication or material implication.

Its most important property is that the truth of $p \implies q$ does not establish a relation of causality between $p$ and $q$.

This allows for the conditional to be truth-functional, at the price of a slight mismatch with its use in natural language.

Fallacies Concerning the Conditional
If we know that $q$ is true, and that $p \implies q$, this tells us nothing about the truth value of $p$. This also takes some thinking about. Here is a plausible example which may illustrate this.

Let $P$ be the statement:
 * $x$ is a whole number divisible by $4$.

Let $Q$ be the statement:
 * $x$ is an even whole number.

It is straightforward to prove the implication $P \implies Q$. (We see that if $P$ is true, that is, that $x$ is a whole number divisible by $4$, then $x$ must be an even whole number, so $Q$ is true.) However, $Q$ can quite possibly be an even number that is not divisible by $4$, for example, $x = 6$. In this case, $Q$ is true, but $P$ is false.

To suppose otherwise is to commit a fallacy. So common are the fallacies that may be committed with regard to the conditional that they have been given names of their own:

Also known as
A conditional statement is also known as a hypothetical, an implication or an implicative statement.

Also see

 * Definition:Therefore
 * Definition:Because
 * Definition:Logical Implication
 * Definition:Biconditional