How to Russell Open the Future

Patrick Todd (University of Edinburgh)

In my paper, "Future Contingents are all False! On Behalf of a Russellian Open Future," (Mind, 2016), I proposed a semantics for future contingents on which, given the openness of the future, future contingents systematically turn out false. However, the semantics I propose differ importantly from the "Peircean" semantics (proposed by A.N. Prior) which generate the same result. Unlike the Peircean semantics, my own semantics are inspired by Russell's theory of definite descriptions. Recently, however, Anders Schoubye & Brian Rabern, and Jacek Wawer, have articulated a number of objections to my account. Here I respond to their objections.