Propositional Logic of Supposition and Assertion

Abstract

This presentation of a system of propositional logic is a foundational paper for systems of illocutionary logic. The language $\mathcal{L}_{.75}$ contains the illocutionary force operators '$\vdash$' for assertion and '⨽' for supposition. Sentences occurring in proofs of the deductive system $\mathcal{S}_{.75}$ must be prefixed with one of these operators, and rules of $\mathcal{S}_{.75}$ take account of the forces of the sentences. Two kinds of semantic conditions are investigated; familiar truth conditions and commitment conditions. Accepting a statement A or rejecting A commits a person to accepting some statements (the symbol '$+$' marks this value), to rejecting some statements ($-$), and will leave the person uncommitted with respect to others ($n$). Commitment valuations assign the values $+, -, n$ to sentences of $\mathcal{L}_{.75}$; such a valuation is conceived as reflecting the beliefs/knowledge of a particular person. This paper explores the relations between truth conditions and commitment conditions, and between semantic concepts defined in terms of these conditions.