Skip to main content

Lund University Publications

LUND UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES

A Logic-Based Approach to Pluralistic Ignorance

Hansen, Jens Ulrik LU (2014) p.226-245
Abstract
“Pluralistic ignorance” is a phenomenon mainly studied in social psychology. Viewed as an epistemic phenomenon, one way to define it is as a situation where “no one believes, but everyone believes that everyone else believes”. In this paper various versions of pluralistic ignorance are formalized using epistemic/doxastic logic (based on plausibility models). The motive is twofold. Firstly, the formalizations are used to show that the various versions of pluralistic ignorance are all consistent, thus there is nothing in the phenomenon that necessarily goes against logic. Secondly, pluralistic ignorance, is on many occasions, assumed to be fragile. In this paper, however, it is shown that pluralistic ignorance need not be fragile to... (More)
“Pluralistic ignorance” is a phenomenon mainly studied in social psychology. Viewed as an epistemic phenomenon, one way to define it is as a situation where “no one believes, but everyone believes that everyone else believes”. In this paper various versions of pluralistic ignorance are formalized using epistemic/doxastic logic (based on plausibility models). The motive is twofold. Firstly, the formalizations are used to show that the various versions of pluralistic ignorance are all consistent, thus there is nothing in the phenomenon that necessarily goes against logic. Secondly, pluralistic ignorance, is on many occasions, assumed to be fragile. In this paper, however, it is shown that pluralistic ignorance need not be fragile to announcements of the agents’ beliefs. Hence, to dissolve pluralistic ignorance in general, something more than announcements of the subjective views of the agents is needed. Finally, suggestions to further research are outlined. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
organization
publishing date
type
Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding
publication status
published
subject
host publication
Logic and Interactive RAtionality Yearbook 2012, Volume II
editor
Christoff, Zoé ; Galeazzi, Paolo ; Gierasimczuk, Nina ; Marcoci, Alexandru and Smets, Sonja
pages
226 - 245
publisher
The Institute for Logic, Lanuage and Computation
project
Collective Competence in Deliberative Groups: On the Epistemological Foundation of Democracy
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
e02c60ae-b463-40fc-8f38-05422015af4c (old id 4456857)
alternative location
http://www.illc.uva.nl/dg/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/LIRA_Yearbook2012_Volume2.pdf
date added to LUP
2016-04-04 10:57:43
date last changed
2018-11-21 21:01:48
@inbook{e02c60ae-b463-40fc-8f38-05422015af4c,
  abstract     = {{“Pluralistic ignorance” is a phenomenon mainly studied in social psychology. Viewed as an epistemic phenomenon, one way to define it is as a situation where “no one believes, but everyone believes that everyone else believes”. In this paper various versions of pluralistic ignorance are formalized using epistemic/doxastic logic (based on plausibility models). The motive is twofold. Firstly, the formalizations are used to show that the various versions of pluralistic ignorance are all consistent, thus there is nothing in the phenomenon that necessarily goes against logic. Secondly, pluralistic ignorance, is on many occasions, assumed to be fragile. In this paper, however, it is shown that pluralistic ignorance need not be fragile to announcements of the agents’ beliefs. Hence, to dissolve pluralistic ignorance in general, something more than announcements of the subjective views of the agents is needed. Finally, suggestions to further research are outlined.}},
  author       = {{Hansen, Jens Ulrik}},
  booktitle    = {{Logic and Interactive RAtionality Yearbook 2012, Volume II}},
  editor       = {{Christoff, Zoé and Galeazzi, Paolo and Gierasimczuk, Nina and Marcoci, Alexandru and Smets, Sonja}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  pages        = {{226--245}},
  publisher    = {{The Institute for Logic, Lanuage and Computation}},
  title        = {{A Logic-Based Approach to Pluralistic Ignorance}},
  url          = {{http://www.illc.uva.nl/dg/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/LIRA_Yearbook2012_Volume2.pdf}},
  year         = {{2014}},
}