Permissible Knowledge Pooling
Huimin Dong
TL;DR
The paper develops a normative, dynamic epistemic framework for permissible knowledge pooling in multi-agent systems. It introduces agent-dependent knowledge $K^a_b$, a dynamic sharing operator $[a\smalltriangleright b]$, and deontic notions for permission to know $P_a\varphi$ and to pool knowledge dynamically $P(a\smalltriangleright b)$, along with static and dynamic logics AK and IKS and their completeness. The contributions include explicit semantics, non-reductionist axiomatizations, and extended models that capture permission-structured knowledge transfer, bridging individual, distributed, and collective knowledge while respecting ethical constraints. This formalism supports privacy-preserving information sharing, governance of knowledge flows, and analysis of epistemic-ethical interactions in distributed systems, with potential applications to GDPR-style data sharing and social dependence analyses.
Abstract
Information pooling has been extensively formalised across various logical frameworks in distributed systems, characterized by diverse information-sharing patterns. These approaches generally adopt an intersection perspective, aggregating all possible information, regardless of whether it is known or unknown to the agents. In contrast, this work adopts a unique stance, emphasising that sharing knowledge means distributing what is known, rather than what remains uncertain. This paper introduces new modal logics for knowledge pooling and sharing, ranging from a novel language of knowledge pooling to a dynamic mechanism for knowledge sharing. It also outlines their axiomatizations and discusses a potential framework for permissible knowledge pooling.