MoL-2024-06: Knowledge as Issue-Relevant Information

MoL-2024-06: Kroon, Wessel (2024) Knowledge as Issue-Relevant Information. [Report]

Text MoL-2024-06.text.pdf - Published Version Download (1MB)

Abstract

This thesis is a logical study of a notion of knowledge as issue-relevant information. We take issues to be the objects of inquiry. The set of issues pursued by an agent constitutes her epistemic agenda, and only the information that is relevant with respect to the issues on her agenda is processed into knowledge. So, we obtain a notion of knowledge as issue-relevant information. We motivate the study of this notion and compare it to other notions of knowledge involving inquiry that have been proposed within formal epistemology. In particular, we object to earlier work in which a similar notion of issue-sensitive knowledge has been formalized, providing us with criteria for our own framework. We formally flesh out key concepts —- information, issues and issue-relevance —- and put these together in structures on which knowledge as issue-relevant information can be defined. The laws to which this notion of knowledge adheres are investigated, and contentious epistemic principles from standard epistemic logic are shown to be invalidated in our framework. They are replaced by restricted, weaker principles, that tend to the reasons why the stronger principles are considered contentious. Several phenomena that cannot be modeled in standard epistemic logic, such as paradigm shifts, are shown to be captured by our framework. We define five static epistemic logics that are increasingly expressive and accurately capture knowledge as issue-relevant information, without taking the individual issues on an agent’s agenda into account. Subsequently, Dynamic Epistemic Issue Logic is developed, accommodating dynamic updates of an agent’s agenda as well as information updates. All logics in this thesis are shown to be sound and complete, as well as decidable. We discuss some limitations of these logics, but argue that they suffice for most purposes. Lastly, we reflect on some adjacent work in formal epistemology, and point out directions for further research.

Item Type:	Report
Report Nr:	MoL-2024-06
Series Name:	Master of Logic Thesis (MoL) Series
Year:	2024
Subjects:	Logic Philosophy
Depositing User:	Dr Marco Vervoort
Date Deposited:	15 Jul 2024 11:39
Last Modified:	15 Jul 2024 11:39
URI:	https://eprints.illc.uva.nl/id/eprint/2316

Actions (login required)

View Item