Knowledge and Belief

Knowledge and Belief
An Introduction to the Logic of the Two Notions
by Jaakko Hintikka

Prepared by Vincent F. Hendricks & John Symons


In 1962 Jaakko Hintikka published Knowledge and Belief: An Introduction
to the Logic of the Two Notions with Cornell University Press. Almost
every paper or a book on epistemic and doxastic logic that has appeared
since then has referred to this seminal work. Although many philosophers
working in logic, epistemology, game-theory, economics, computer science
and linguistics mention the book, it is very likely that most have never
literally had their hands on it, much less owned a copy. After a fourth
printing in 1969, Knowledge and Belief went out of print and as many of
us have found to our dismay, it has become increasingly difficult to
find used copies at our local shops or online. It is our pleasure to
provide the interdisciplinary community with this reprint edition of
Knowledge and Belief.


Knowledge and Belief is a classic on which a generation - my generation
- of epistemologists cut their teeth. This reissue is welcome. It will
provide something for the next generation to chew on. - Fred Dretske,
Duke University



It is wonderful to see this classic being reissued after so many years
out of print. It was extremely influential in its day; its influence
continues to this day, through the impact of epistemic logic in fields
as diverse distributed computing, artificial intelligence, and game
theory. This reissue should make it possible for a new generation of
researchers to appreciate Hintikka's groundbreaking work. - Joseph
Halpern, Cornell University