Logic for two: The semantics of distributive substructural logics

Abstract

This is an account of the semantics of a family of logics whose paradigm member is the relevant logic R of Anderson and Belnap. The formal semantic theory is well worn, having been discussed in the literature of such logics for over a quarter of a century. What is new here is the explication of that formal machinery in a way intended to make sense of it for those who have claimed it to be esoteric, ‘merely formal’ or downright impenetrable. Our further goal is to put these logics in the service of practical reasoning systems, since the basic concept of our treatment is that of an agent a reasoning to conclusions using as assumptions the theory of agent b. This concept requires true multi-agent reasoning, as opposed to what is merely reasoning by multiple agents.