Questions of identity
In modeltheoretic semantics for epistemic logic, quantifiers are defined as
ranging over the objects in the domain of the worlds in the epistemic states.
I will argue that this view is not only conceptually problematic, but also
gives rise to counterintuitive predictions with respect to wh-complements in
epistemic contexts and the interaction between quantifiers and epistemic
modals. I will argue that letting quantifiers range over individual concepts
circumvents these problems and at the same time preserves most of the logical
properties of the existing approaches. Finally, I will briefly discuss how
quantification over concepts can shed some light on certain puzzles of
quantification and the oft-noted `ambiguity' of wh-questions.
Jelle Gerbrandy