 Van Fraassen points out that any counterfactual has a ceteris paribus clause, but what is “being kept equal” by the asserter of the counterfactual varies from context to context. For example, consider the counterfactual, “If Tom were to light the fuse, there would be an explosion.” If the ceteris paribus clause of the speaker keeps constant the fact that the fuse leads to a barrel of gunpowder, and the fact that lit fuses leading to barrels of gunpowder typically result in explosions, then the counterfactual would, in that context, be true. If, on the other hand, the ceteris paribus clause of the speaker also kept constant the fact that Tom is generally paranoid about explosions around barrels of gunpowder and fuses, and would only light the fuse if he had disconnected the fuse from the barrel, then the counterfactual would, in that context, be false (1980, 116). Until the context that fixes the ceteris paribus clause is specified, we cannot say what the truth value of the counterfactual in question is. Only once the context is determined does the counterfactual admit of an objective truth value.