Knowledge & Belief

[Steven Belknap <sbelknap@UIC.EDU>]

<la stivn djuno le du'u la xorxes djuno le du'u la lojbab klama le zarci
kei fo da>

"Steven knows that Jorge knows that Lojbab goes to the store."

The above statement is always false, which considerably limits its utility.
I am asserting that it is not possible to directly know that some else
knows something.

<la stivn djuno le du'u la xorxes xusra le du'u la lojbab klama le zarci
kei fo da>

"Steven knows that Jorge asserts that Lojbab goes to the store."

This statement might be true, if Jorge has made such an assertion. Note
that the statement could be true even if Lojbab is going to the circus.
That is, if Jorge's assertion is false, Steven could still know that he
made an assertion. The statement does not indicate whether Steven believes
Jorge's assertion to be true or false.

-Steven

Steven Belknap, M.D.
Assistant Professor of Clinical Pharmacology and Medicine
University of Illinois College of Medicine at Peoria