Abstract
In this paper we present an alternative interpretation of statements of epistemic possibility, which does not induce a consistency test on a common ground, as in , but which tests whether the possibility is supported by some update of the common ground, as in . The information space relative to which such claims are evaluated are taken to consist in the possible developements of a discourse in action. It is shown that this notion of Might not only behaves better logically and pragmatically speaking, but that it also allows for non-trivial attitude reports and questions about epistemic possibilities. These epistemic modal statements can also be understood to guide or focus the inquisitive actions of the discourse participants.
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Dekker, P.J.E. (2010). There Is Something about Might . In: Aloni, M., Bastiaanse, H., de Jager, T., Schulz, K. (eds) Logic, Language and Meaning. Lecture Notes in Computer Science(), vol 6042. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-14287-1_25
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-14287-1_25
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