The Knowability Paradox: A Step Towards Consensus

Abstract

The knowability paradox is concerned with difficulties for anyone willing to accept the formalisation of the knowability principle as p → ♦Kp by showing that, under some assumptions, the absurd p → Kp follows. Many approaches to the paradox have been proposed, but little consensus on its plausibility and consequences has been reached. This thesis selects logical and philosophical criteria by which these approaches can be compared in a standardized way. After applying these criteria to the intuitionistic, paraconsistency and situations approaches, it is argued that the situations approach is the strongest with respect to the selected criteria.