Inferential erotetic logic meets inquisitive semantics

Abstract

Inferential erotetic logic (IEL) and inquisitive semantics (INQ) give accounts of questions and model various aspects of questioning. In this paper we concentrate upon connections between inquisitiveness, being the core concept of INQ, and question raising, characterized in IEL by means of the concepts of question evocation and erotetic implication. We consider the basic system InqB of INQ, remain at the propositional level and show, inter alia, that: (1) a disjunction of all the direct answers to an evoked question is always inquisitive; (2) a formula is inquisitive if, and only if it evokes a yes-no question whose affirmative answer expresses a possibility for the formula; (3) inquisitive formulas evoke questions whose direct answers express all the possibilities for the formulas, and (4) each question erotetically implies a question whose direct answers express the possibilities for the direct answers to the implying question.Keywords Logic of questions · Inferential erotetic logic · Inquisitive semantics IntroductionThis paper focuses on interrelations between two notions: question raising and inquisitiveness. The former is in the centre of attention of inferential erotetic logic (IEL), while the latter is the core concept of inquisitive semantics (INQ).

A Defeasible Calculus for Zetetic Agents

“…In recent years, the logical study of questions has benefited from the rise of inquisitive semantics, a program which, unlike IEL, does not assume a syntactic distinction between declaratives and interrogatives but rather provides a unified semantic account according to which informative content may be distinguished from inquisitive content. Fortunately, many of the relations IEL studies have known correlates in inquisitive semantics (Wiśniewski & Leszczyńska-Jasion, 2015).…”

An Axiomatic Account of Question Evocation: The Propositional Case

“…Let us add that the concept of question evocation is also closely connected with the concept of inquisitiveness elaborated within the basic system of Inquisitive Semantics (cf. [12] for a comparison and details).…”

Question dependency in terms of compliance and erotetic implication

“…Firstly (after [19]) let us introduce a language L P . It is a propositional language over a non-empty set of propositional variables P, where P is either finite or countably infinite.…”

“…1 After [19] I present a method of interpreting INQ interrogative formulae within IEL framework. I also show that INQ approach to questions' dependency is more narrow and strict than the one offered by IEL.…”