Conditional perfection is the phenomenon in which conditionals are strengthened to biconditionals. In some contexts, “If A, B” is understood as if it meant “A if and only if B.” I’ll present and discuss a series of experiments designed to test one of the most promising pragmatic accounts of conditional perfection.

This is the idea that conditional perfection is a form of exhaustification, triggered by a question that the conditional answers. If a speaker is asked how B comes about, then the answer “If A, B” is interpreted exhaustively to meaning that A is the only way to bring about B. Hence, “A if and only if B.” The evidence suggests that conditional perfection is a form of exhaustification, but not that it is triggered by a relationship to a salient question. (This is joint work with Fabrizio Cariani.)