scholarly journals Access granted to Zombies

2017 ◽  
Vol 60 (1) ◽  
pp. 58-68
Author(s):  
Dusko Prelevic
Keyword(s):  
Modal Logic ◽  
Accessibility Relation ◽  
Universal Accessibility ◽  
Zombie Argument

In his ?Access Denied to Zombies?, Gualtiero Piccinini argues that the possibility of zombies does not entail the falsity of physicalism, since the accessibility relation can be understood so that even in S5 system for modal logic worlds inaccessible from our world are allowed (in the case in which the accessibility relation is understood as an equivalence rather than as universal accessibility). According to Piccinini, whether the zombie world is accessible from our world depends on whether physicalism is true in our world, which is something that cannot be answered in a non-question-begging way. In order to show this, he recalls a well known strategy of making a parody of the zombie argument. After pointing out that Piccinini?s strategy of parodying the zombie argument renders his former strategy, based on the distinguishing between the two notions of accessibility, redundant, I recall the two ways of handling parodies of the zombie argument. In addition, I argue that persisting on the distinction between accessibility understood as an equivalence and universal accessibility in dealing with the zombie argument relies upon accepting modal dualism (a view that there are two spaces of possibilities rather than one), which is something usually dismissed for methodological reasons (simplicity in particular). Given that Piccinini has not provided new arguments neither in favour of modal dualism nor in favour of parodying the zombie argument, the conclusion he infers remains unsupported by the premises he uses.

scholarly journals Useful Four-Valued Extension of the Temporal Logic KtT4

2018 ◽  
Vol 47 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Vincent Degauquier
Keyword(s):  
Modal Logic ◽  
Temporal Logic ◽  
Paraconsistent Logics ◽  
Accessibility Relation

The temporal logic KtT4 is the modal logic obtained from the minimal temporal logic Kt by requiring the accessibility relation to be reflexive (which corresponds to the axiom T) and transitive (which corresponds to the axiom 4). This article aims, firstly, at providing both a model-theoretic and a proof-theoretic characterisation of a four-valued extension of the temporal logic KtT4 and, secondly, at identifying some of the most useful properties of this extension in the context of partial and paraconsistent logics.

EVIDENCE MEASURES INDUCED BY KRIPKE'S ACCESSIBILITY RELATIONS

1999 ◽  
Vol 07 (06) ◽  
pp. 589-613 ◽  
Author(s):  
ELENA TSIPORKOVA ◽  
VESELKA BOEVA ◽  
BERNARD DE BAETS
Keyword(s):  
Modal Logic ◽  
Multivalued Mapping ◽  
Possible Worlds ◽  
Accessibility Relation

Modal logic interpretations of plausibility and belief measures are developed based on the observation that the accessibility relation in a model of modal logic, regarded as a multivalued mapping, induces a plausibility measure and a belief measure on the set of possible worlds.

scholarly journals Four-valued modal logic: Kripke semantics and duality

10.29007/12bb ◽  
2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Achim Jung ◽  
Umberto Rivieccio
Keyword(s):  
Modal Logic ◽  
Independent Interest ◽  
Kripke Semantics ◽  
Kripke Models ◽  
Consequence Relations ◽  
Accessibility Relation ◽  
Kripke Frames ◽  
Modal Systems ◽  
Global Consequence

Along the lines of recent investigations combining many-valued and modal systems, we address the problem of defining and axiomatizing the least modal logic over the four-element Belnap lattice. By this we mean the logic determined by the class of all Kripke frames where the accessibility relation as well as semantic valuations are four-valued. Our main result is the introduction of two Hilbert-style calculi that provide complete axiomatizations for, respectively, the local and the global consequence relations associated to the class of all four-valued Kripke models. Our completeness proofs make an extensive and profitable use of algebraic and topological techniques; in fact, our algebraic and topological analyses of the logic have, in our opinion, an independent interest and contribute to the appeal of our approach.

Modal Logic

1980 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brian F. Chellas
Keyword(s):  
Modal Logic

Modality and folk psychology

2019 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
pp. 19-27
Author(s):  
Ja. O. Petik
Keyword(s):  
Modal Logic ◽  
Brain Activity ◽  
Formal System ◽  
Philosophy Of Logic ◽  
Psychological States ◽  
Formal Systems ◽  
Modern Psychology ◽  
Philosophical Interpretation ◽  
Important Direction

The connection of the modern psychology and formal systems remains an important direction of research. This paper is centered on philosophical problems surrounding relations between mental and logic. Main attention is given to philosophy of logic but certain ideas are introduced that can be incorporated into the practical philosophical logic. The definition and properties of basic modal logic and descending ones which are used in study of mental activity are in view. The defining role of philosophical interpretation of modality for the particular formal system used for research in the field of psychological states of agents is postulated. Different semantics of modal logic are studied. The hypothesis about the connection of research in cognitive psychology (semantics of brain activity) and formal systems connected to research of psychological states is stated.

A new approach to the logic of discovery

2007 ◽  
Vol 50 (1) ◽  
pp. 7-27
Author(s):  
Gerald Massey
Keyword(s):  
Modal Logic ◽  
Scientific Discovery ◽  
Traditional View ◽  
New Approach ◽  
Logic Of Discovery ◽  
Good Fortune ◽  
High Incidence ◽  
History Of ◽  
Deep Sense

Contending that the quest for a logic of scientific discovery was prematurely abandoned, the author lays down eight phenomena that such a logic or theory must explain: the banality of scientific discovery; the trainability of scientists; the high incidence of simultaneous discoveries; the ubiquity of relative novices; the fact of scientific genius; the barrenness of isolated workers; the incommensurability of concepts of successive theories; and the quasi-incorporation of old concepts, objects, and methods in successor theories, The author then presents a new theory or logic of discovery according to which discoveries are the termini of "tweak paths" generated when scientists "tinker" with the laws, concepts, methods, and instruments of a given theory. Tinkering and tweaking are illustrated by examples from many-valued and modal logic and from Darwinian biology. Through the history of planetary discovery, the accidental role played by luck or good fortune in some discoveries is explored, but the author emphasizes that in a deep sense serendipity is an in eliminable feature of all scientific discovery because scientists never know m advance whether their tweaks will lead to dead ends or to positive developments. The author's new theory of scientific discovery is shown to account for all eight explananda, ft also reveals science to be a more egalitarian enterprise than the traditional view of scientific discovery as ultimately inexplicable depicts it.

Implications for the epistemic auxiliaries

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Lassiter
Keyword(s):  
Modal Logic ◽  
Probabilistic Theory ◽  
Context Sensitive ◽  
Rule Out

The semantics of the adjectives places strong constraints on theories of the better-studied epistemic auxiliaries. This chapter motivates some basic connections – for instance, must asymmetrically entails likely; likely asymmetrically entails might and possible; and certain asymmetrically entails must (modulo the evidential presupposition of the latter). In addition, I present a lottery experiment showing that might has a context-sensitive meaning that is stronger than possible’s. These connections suffice to rule out the classical treatment from modal logic, as revived recently by von Fintel & Gillies (2010). It also rules out Kratzer’s (1991) theory. The probabilistic theory of Swanson (2006); Lassiter (2011, 2016) satisfies our desiderata, though, as does Swanson’s (2015) blend of the scalar semantics with Kratzer’s account. Both have access to a plausible formalization of must’s evidential component, but the latter has additional interesting features – both strengths and weaknesses – involving dualities and the treatment of so-called “epistemic ought”.

Necessary Existence

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexander R. Pruss ◽  
Joshua L. Rasmussen
Keyword(s):  
Modal Logic ◽  
Abstract Objects ◽  
Classical Theism ◽  
Necessary Being ◽  
Necessary Existence ◽  
Concrete Entity ◽  
The Universe

A necessary being is a concrete entity that cannot fail to exist. An example of such a being might be the God of classical theism or the universe of necessitarians. Necessary Existence offers and carefully defends a number of novel arguments for the thesis that there exists at least one necessary being, while inviting the reader to a future investigation of what the neccessary being(s) is (are) like. The arguments include a defense of a classic contingency argument, a series of new modal arguments from possible causes, an argument from abstract objects, and a Gödelian argument from perfections. Furthermore, arguments against the possibility of a necessary being are critically examined. Among these arguments are old and new arguments from conceivability, a subtraction argument, problems with causation, and an argument from parsimony. Necessary Existence also includes a defense of the axioms of S5 modal logic, which is a framework for understanding several arguments for necessary existents.

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