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Related papers: On Counterfactuals and Contextuality

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Contextuality in quantum physics provides a key resource for quantum information and computation. The topological approach in [Abramsky and Brandenburger, New J. Phys., 2011, Abramsky et al., CSL 2015, 2015] characterizes contextuality as…

Logic in Computer Science · Computer Science 2017-03-07 Kohei Kishida

Contextuality describes the nontrivial dependence of measurement outcomes on particular choices of jointly measurable observables. In this work we review and generalize the bundle diagram representation introduced in [S. Abramsky et al.,…

Quantum Physics · Physics 2018-11-28 Kerstin Beer , Tobias J. Osborne

Counterfactuals -- expressing what might have been true under different circumstances -- have been widely applied in statistics and machine learning to help understand causal relationships. More recently, counterfactuals have begun to…

Human-Computer Interaction · Computer Science 2024-04-08 Arran Zeyu Wang , David Borland , David Gotz

In previous work with Joost Vennekens I proposed a definition of actual causation that is based on certain plausible principles, thereby allowing the debate on causation to shift away from its heavy focus on examples towards a more…

Artificial Intelligence · Computer Science 2020-12-17 Sander Beckers

Counterfactual reasoning is a foundational topic in both philosophical and logical studies \cite{Stalnaker1968-STAATO-5, Lewis1973-LEWC-2}. A pivotal component of counterfactual analysis is the concept of similarity between possible worlds…

Logic · Mathematics 2025-08-19 Marta Esteves

In this paper, we describe an approach for modelling causal reasoning in natural language by detecting counterfactuals in text using multi-head self-attention weights. We use pre-trained transformer models to extract contextual embeddings…

Computation and Language · Computer Science 2020-06-02 Rajaswa Patil , Veeky Baths

Counterfactuals are often described as 'retrospective,' focusing on hypothetical alternatives to a realized past. This description relates to an often implicit assumption about the structure and stability of exogenous variables in the…

Artificial Intelligence · Computer Science 2022-12-09 Lucius E. J. Bynum , Joshua R. Loftus , Julia Stoyanovich

Generalized contextuality is a possible indicator of non-classical behaviour in quantum information theory. In finite-dimensional systems, this is justified by the fact that noncontextual theories can be embedded into some simplex, i.e.…

Counterfactual reasoning -- the practice of asking ``what if'' by varying inputs and observing changes in model behavior -- has become central to interpretable and fair AI. This thesis develops frameworks that use counterfactuals to…

Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition · Computer Science 2025-08-29 Pushkar Shukla

With the growing interest in social applications of Natural Language Processing and Computational Argumentation, a natural question is how controversial a given concept is. Prior works relied on Wikipedia's metadata and on content analysis…

Computation and Language · Computer Science 2019-08-21 Benjamin Sznajder , Ariel Gera , Yonatan Bilu , Dafna Sheinwald , Ella Rabinovich , Ranit Aharonov , David Konopnicki , Noam Slonim

A stream of conscious experience is extremely contextual; it is impacted by sensory stimuli, drives and emotions, and the web of associations that link, directly or indirectly, the subject of experience to other elements of the individual's…

Neurons and Cognition · Quantitative Biology 2013-10-30 Diederik Aerts , Jan Broekaert , Liane Gabora

In the paper, a value assignment for projection operators relating to a quantum system is equated with assignment of truth-values to the propositions associated with these operators. In consequence, the Kochen-Specker theorem (its localized…

Quantum Physics · Physics 2018-07-31 Arkady Bolotin

Counterfactuals are central in causal human reasoning and the scientific discovery process. The uplift, also called conditional average treatment effect, measures the causal effect of some action, or treatment, on the outcome of an…

Machine Learning · Computer Science 2025-12-10 Théo Verhelst , Denis Mercier , Jeevan Shrestha , Gianluca Bontempi

Contextuality and nonlocality are non-classical properties exhibited by quantum statistics whose implications profoundly impact both foundations and applications of quantum theory. In this paper we provide some insights into logical…

Quantum Physics · Physics 2021-08-11 Leonardo Santos , Barbara Amaral

Measurement incompatibility is the most basic resource that distinguishes quantum from classical physics. Contextuality is the critical resource behind the power of some models of quantum computation and is also a necessary ingredient for…

Quantum Physics · Physics 2019-02-20 Zhen-Peng Xu , Adán Cabello

Recent years have seen new general notions of contextuality emerge. Most of these employ context-independent symbols to represent random variables in different contexts. As an example, the operational theory of Spekkens [1] treats an…

Quantum Physics · Physics 2020-11-16 Mojtaba Aliakbarzadeh , Kirsty Kitto

Evaluating hypothetical statements about how the world would be had a different course of action been taken is arguably one key capability expected from modern AI systems. Counterfactual reasoning underpins discussions in fairness, the…

Machine Learning · Computer Science 2022-10-04 Kevin Xia , Yushu Pan , Elias Bareinboim

Temporal commonsense reasoning refers to the ability to understand the typical temporal context of phrases, actions, and events, and use it to reason over problems requiring such knowledge. This trait is essential in temporal natural…

Artificial Intelligence · Computer Science 2023-11-17 Georg Wenzel , Adam Jatowt

Unlike in the case of distinguishable particles, the concept of entanglement-- not to mention, nonlocality-- remains debated in case of indistinguishable particles. Here, we show that certain existing all-versus-nothing type of proofs of…

Quantum Physics · Physics 2019-07-23 Debajyoti Gangopadhyay , R. Srikanth

This paper introduces the concept of rational countefactuals which is an idea of identifying a counterfactual from the factual (whether perceived or real) that maximizes the attainment of the desired consequent. In counterfactual thinking…

Artificial Intelligence · Computer Science 2014-04-09 Tshilidzi Marwala