counterfactual
Imagined alternative history
Counterfactual describes something contrary to what actually happened—an imagined alternative to reality: What if the South had won the Civil War?
Philosophers and historians use counterfactual reasoning to explore causation: If the assassination hadn't occurred, would war have followed?
As a noun, a counterfactual is such a hypothetical scenario itself.
Verb mood expressing unreality
- conditionalDependent on prerequisites
- if-thenImplication structure in logic
- antecedentSomething that precedes
- consequentFollowing as an effect
supposition · hypothetical · mood · would have · could have · might have · suppositional
Hypothetical scenario query
- alternate historyGenre reimagining past outcomes
- alternate realityHypothetical different version of existence
- parallel universeHypothetical coexisting separate reality
- divergenceSeparation from common origin
alternate timeline · sliding doors · multiverse · crossroads · turning point · pivotal moment · timeline split · historical fiction
Purposeful involvement to change course
- outcomeFinal result of events
- effectResult of a cause
- consequenceResult of an action
- mechanismMeans by which something operates
antecedent · trigger · but-for · causal chain · attribution · explanation
Indispensable requirement
- contingencyUncertain possible event
- LeibnizBaroque-era polymath philosopher-mathematician
- thought experimentHypothetical scenario for reasoning
- metaphysicsPhilosophy of existence's nature
Recognition after the fact
- regretSorrow over past actions
- ruminationProlonged, repetitive thinking
- mental simulationImagined rehearsal of events
- imaginationFaculty for forming ideas
speculation · second-guessing · retrospection · near miss · close call · missed opportunity · cognitive bias · backcasting
subjunctive
Verb mood expressing unreality
- conditionalDependent on prerequisites
- if-thenImplication structure in logic
- antecedentSomething that precedes
consequent · supposition · hypothetical · mood · would have · could have · might have · suppositional
what-if
Hypothetical scenario query
- alternate historyGenre reimagining past outcomes
- alternate realityHypothetical different version of existence
- parallel universeHypothetical coexisting separate reality
divergence · alternate timeline · sliding doors · multiverse · crossroads · turning point · pivotal moment · timeline split · historical fiction · anachronism
intervention
Purposeful involvement to change course
- outcomeFinal result of events
- effectResult of a cause
- consequenceResult of an action
mechanism · antecedent · trigger · but-for · causal chain · attribution · explanation
necessity
Indispensable requirement
- contingencyUncertain possible event
- LeibnizBaroque-era polymath philosopher-mathematician
- thought experimentHypothetical scenario for reasoning
hindsight
Recognition after the fact
- regretSorrow over past actions
- ruminationProlonged, repetitive thinking
- mental simulationImagined rehearsal of events
imagination · speculation · second-guessing · retrospection · near miss · close call · missed opportunity · cognitive bias · backcasting
- scenariosbest-case, worst-case, hypothetical, what-if, best case
- speculationconjecture, guess, guessing, speculation, hypothesis
- what-ifswhat if, hypothetical, thought experiment, speculation, conjecture
- Alternate Historyalternate history, alternate timeline, alternate timelines, alternate reality, alternate world
- causationcause, effect, because, causality, causation
- conditionalsif, then, if clause, if clauses, else
counterfactualfactual
Grounded in truth
actual · real · true · historical · empirical
counterfactualunconditional
Without limits or qualifications
unconditioned · categorical · absolute · indicative · matter of fact