Skip to main content
Log in

Indistinguishability, Choices, and Logics of Agency

  • Published:
Studia Logica Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

This paper deals with structures \({\langle{\bf T}, I\rangle}\) in which T is a tree and I is a function assigning each moment a partition of the set of histories passing through it. The function I is called indistinguishability and generalizes the notion of undividedness. Belnap’s choices are particular indistinguishability functions. Structures \({\langle{\bf T}, I\rangle}\) provide a semantics for a language \({\mathcal{L}}\) with tense and modal operators. The first part of the paper investigates the set-theoretical properties of the set of indistinguishability classes, which has a tree structure. The significant relations between this tree and T are established within a general theory of trees. The aim of second part is testing the expressive power of the language \({\mathcal{L}}\) . The natural environment for this kind of investigations is Belnap’s seeing to it that (stit). It will be proved that the hybrid extension of \({\mathcal{L}}\) (with a simultaneity operator) is suitable for expressing stit concepts in a purely temporal language.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Areces C., Blackburn P., Marx M.: Hybrid logics: characterization, interpolation and complexity. The J. of Symbolic Logic 66(3), 977–1010 (2001)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Belnap, N., M. Perloff, and M. Xu, Facing the Future. Agents and Choices in Our Indeterminst World, Oxford University Press, 2001.

  3. Chellas B.: Time and Modality in the Logic of Agency. Studia Logica 51, 485–517 (1992)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Ciuni, R., From achievement stit to metric possible choices, The Logica Yearbook 2009, 2010, pp. 33–43.

  5. Ciuni R., Zanardo A.: Completeness of a branching–time logic with possible choices. Studia Logica 96(3), 393–420 (2010)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Di Maio, M. C., and A. Zanardo, Synchronized histories in Prior–Thomason representation of branching time, in D. Gabbay, and H. Ohlbach (eds.), Proceedings of the First International Conference on Temporal Logic. Springer–Verlag, 1994, pp. 265–282.

  7. DiMaio M. C., Zanardo A.: A Gabbay–rule free axiomatization of T × W validity. J. of Philosophical Logic 27, 435–487 (1998)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Gatto, A., A Completeness Result for a Branching Time Logic with Indistinguishability Functions, Master’s thesis, Department of Mathematics, University of Padova, Padova, Italy, 2012.

  9. Kellerman, R., Logical Theories of Trees. PhD thesis, School of Mathematics, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa, 2010.

  10. von Kutschera F.: T × W completeness. J. of Philosophical Logic 26, 241–250 (1997)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. Prior A.: Past, Present and Future. Clarendon, Oxford (1967)

    Book  Google Scholar 

  12. Sabbadin M., Zanardo A.: Topological aspects of branching–time semantics. Studia Logica 75, 271–286 (2003)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  13. Zanardo A.: Branching–time logic with quantification over branches: the point of view of modal logic. J. of Symbolic Logic 61(1), 1–39 (1996)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. Zanardo A.: Undivided and indistinguishable histories in branching–time logic. J. of Logic, Language and Information 7, 297–315 (1998)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  15. Zanardo A.: Modalities in Temporal Logic of Agency. Humana.Mente 8, 1–15 (2009)

    Google Scholar 

  16. Zanardo, A., B. Barcellan, B., and M. Reynolds, Non–definability of the class of complete bundled trees, Logic J. of the IGPL 7(1):125–136, 1999. Special issue on Temporal Logic.

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Alberto Zanardo.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Zanardo, A. Indistinguishability, Choices, and Logics of Agency. Stud Logica 101, 1215–1236 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11225-013-9530-3

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11225-013-9530-3

Keywords

Navigation