From belief change to modality
Epistemic semantics for modal and conditional logic
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21370978 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Nancy Dahl (0000-0001-9157-594X, Lund University, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Volume | 183 |
| Issue | 7 |
| Pages | 2047-2077 |
| Publication date | 2026-07-01 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Philosophical Studies (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0031-8116 • E-ISSN: 1573-0883 |
| Publisher | Springer Science and Business Media LLC (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1007/s11098-025-02459-w |
| OpenAlex | W7162869655 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 19 |
This paper sets out to extend the epistemic semantics presented in Dahl (2023) to modal and conditional logics. To do so, I extend the notion of belief expansion systems, inspired by the AGM-model of belief change, to include belief revision , and use the resulting structures as models for both conditional and modal logic. In the first case, this applies the well-known approach to conditionals initiated by Gärdenfors (1978), but in a weaker setting which doesn’t assume an underlying logic. As such, we get semantics for both classical conditional logic and the intuitionistic conditionals studied by Weiss (2019). For modal logics, I use the condition that $$\Box \varphi$$ is accepted if and only if $$\varphi$$ is accepted under every belief revision. As a result of this system of semantics, we get soundness and completeness theorems for both classical and non-classical systems of modal and conditional logic on the basis of a single type of structure. Finally, I briefly discuss how models based on belief change can still be thought to explain the semantics of objective modal claims
Accessibility relation · Belief revision · Epistemic modal logic · Modal · Modal logic · Multimodal logic · Normal modal logic · Semantics (computer science) · Soundness · Advanced Algebra and Logic · Logic, Reasoning, and Knowledge · Multi-Agent Systems and Negotiation
| Highly cited | No |
|---|