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4. Formal Logic / D. Modal Logic ML / 5. Epistemic Logic

[Inferences between known and believed propositions]

3 ideas
Read epistemic box as 'a knows/believes P' and diamond as 'for all a knows/believes, P' [Fitting/Mendelsohn]
     Full Idea: In epistemic logic we read Υ as 'KaP: a knows that P', and ◊ as 'PaP: it is possible, for all a knows, that P' (a is an individual). For belief we read them as 'BaP: a believes that P' and 'CaP: compatible with everything a believes that P'.
     From: M Fitting/R Mendelsohn (First-Order Modal Logic [1998], 1.11)
     A reaction: [scripted capitals and subscripts are involved] Hintikka 1962 is the source of this. Fitting and Mendelsohn prefer □ to read 'a is entitled to know P', rather than 'a knows that P'.
In epistemic logic knowers are logically omniscient, so they know that they know [Fitting/Mendelsohn]
     Full Idea: In epistemic logic the knower is treated as logically omniscient. This is puzzling because one then cannot know something and yet fail to know that one knows it (the Principle of Positive Introspection).
     From: M Fitting/R Mendelsohn (First-Order Modal Logic [1998], 1.11)
     A reaction: This is nowadays known as the K-K Problem - to know, must you know that you know. Broadly, we find that externalists say you don't need to know that you know (so animals know things), but internalists say you do need to know that you know.
Epistemic accessibility is reflexive, and allows positive and negative introspection (KK and K¬K) [Sider]
     Full Idea: Epistemic accessibility should be required to be reflexive (allowing Kφ→φ). S4 allows the 'KK principle', or 'positive introspection' (Kφ→KKφ), and S5 allows 'negative introspection' (¬Kφ→K¬Kφ).
     From: Theodore Sider (Logic for Philosophy [2010], 7.2)