The Interrogative Model of Inquiry Meets Dynamic Logic – IMI

The last 20 years have witnessed the emergence of a new logical paradigm which looks at the underlying unity of reasoning and rational arguments. The meaning of the term "logical" has been stretched to go beyond the study of traditional abstract logical notions like proof, computation, and expressive power, and to reach for more general aspects of rational behaviour in which the stress is on interaction, intelligent communication, information gathering and correction. The notion of rationality is studied in a multiagent context, and the inferences drawn by the agents are tightened to their informational and epistemic states. Several logical systems have been designed (Dynamic Epistemic Logic, Dynamic Doxastic Logic, etc) meant to capture in one and the same logical language both the results and the triggers for information change, which includes the study of logical inference, dialogues, the posing of questions and providing answers, observation, communication, computation and proofs, among others. It is this setting that provides the context for the present research project. Our aim is to develop a unified logical theory of rational inquiry which treats on a par questions, answers, inferences and revisions (corrections). The project will last for 36 months and will be coordinated by Gabriel Sandu (Professor of Philosophy, Paris 1/IHPST). It will have one partner (IHPST) but it will involve extensively researchers working in other laboratories accross Europe. The collaborrators have been chosen so that they are working actively and have major contributions to some of the goals aimed at in the project. Two postdocs (each for 12 months) will be hired.