A projective unifier for a modal formula A, over a modal logic L, is a unifier σ for A such that the equivalence of σ with the identity map is the consequence of A. Each projective unifier is a most general unifier for A. Let L be a normal modal logic containing S4. We show that every unifiable formula has a projective unifier in L iff L contains S4.3. The syntactic proof is effective. As a corollary, we conclude that all (...) normal modal logics L containing S4.3 are almost structurally complete, i.e. all admissible rules having unifiable premises are derivable in L. Moreover, L is structurally complete iff L contains McKinsey axiom M. (shrink)

We show that some common varieties of modal K4-algebras have finitary unification type, thus providing effective best solutions for equations in free algebras. Applications to admissible inference rules are immediate.

Modern modal logic originated as a branch of philosophical logic in which the concepts of necessity and possibility were investigated by means of a pair of dual operators that are added to a propositional or first-order language. The field owes much of its flavor and success to the introduction in the 1950s of the “possible-worlds” semantics in which the modal operators are interpreted via some “accessibility relation” connecting possible worlds. In subsequent years, modal logic has received attention as an attractive (...) approach towards formalizing such diverse notions as time, knowledge, or action. Nowadays, modal logics are applied in various disciplines, ranging from economics to linguistics and computer science. Consequently, there is by now a large variety of modal languages, with an even greater wealth of interpretations. For instance, many applications require a poly-modal framework consisting of a language with a family of modal operators and a semantics in which the corresponding accessibility relations are connected somehow. (shrink)

This volume succeeds the same authors' well-known An Introduction to Modal Logic and A Companion to Modal Logic. We designate the three books and their authors NIML, IML, CML and H&C respectively. Sadly, George Hughes died partway through the writing of NIML.

We extend and generalize the work on unifiability of [8]. We give a semantic characterization for unifiability and non-unifiability in the extensions of K4. We apply this in particular to extensions of KD4, GL and K4.3 to obtain a syntactic characterization and give a concrete decision procedure for unifiability for those logics. For that purpose we use universal models.