Direct and indirect common belief

Emiliano Lorini

Andreas Herzig

pp. 355-372

in: Anita Konzelmann-Ziv, Hans B. Schmid (eds), Institutions, emotions, and group agents, Berlin, Springer, 2014

Abstract

We give informal definitions of the concepts of direct and indirect common belief, illustrating them by an example. We then provide an analysis of these concepts within public announcement logic (PAL). The conceptual distinction between direct common belief and indirect common belief is important because it identifies two social phenomena which rely on different forms of agents' cognitive capabilities. It is moreover relevant for speech act theory.