In a manner that expresses or considers what would happen if something were different from the actual facts.
From counterfactual + -ly (adverbial suffix). Used in academic and philosophical discourse to describe a mode of reasoning or expression.
When historians say 'counterfactually speaking, if Hitler had died in 1932,' they're using a scientific method to explore causation—it helps us understand whether he was a cause or just a symbol of deeper forces.
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