Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!mhuxj!houxm!ihnp4!zehntel!hplabs!sri-unix!STORY@MIT-MC From: STORY%MIT-MC@sri-unix.UUCP Newsgroups: net.ai Subject: Seminar - Analysis of Knowledge Message-ID: <12303@sri-arpa.UUCP> Date: Thu, 20-Sep-84 13:30:00 EDT Article-I.D.: sri-arpa.12303 Posted: Thu Sep 20 13:30:00 1984 Date-Received: Wed, 26-Sep-84 07:14:30 EDT Lines: 25 From: Kenneth Byrd Story[Forwarded from the MIT bboard by SASW@MIT-MC.] DATE: Wednesday, September 26, 1984 TIME: Refreshments, 3:45pm Lecture, 4:00pm PLACE: NE43-453 TITLE: ``A MODEL-THEORETIC ANALYSIS OF KNOWLEDGE'' SPEAKER: Dr. Joseph Y. Halpern, IBM, San Jose Understanding knowledge is a fundamental issue in many disciplines. In computer science, knowledge arises not only in the obvious contexts (such as knowledge-based systems), but also in distributed systems (where the goal is to have each processor know something, as in Byzantine agreement). A general semantic model of knowledge is introduced, to allow reasoning about statements such as "He knows that I know whether or not she knows whether or not it is raining." This approach more naturally models a state of knowledge than previous proposals (including Kripke structures). Using this notion of model, a model theory for knowledge is developed. This theory enables one to interpret such notions as a "finite amount of information" and "common knowledge" in different contexts. This is joint work with Ron Fagin and Moshe Vardi. HOST: Professor Silvio Micali