A model for structural changes of belief (Q931407)

The author presents a generalization of AGM partial meet contraction in which the language, as well as the current belief set, may be modified. In effect, it is a recipe for constructing such a variable-language contraction from a fixed-language one. Consider any belief set closed under classical consequence, formulated in a propositional language, and consider a formula possibly containing elementary letters from outside the language. Then a generalized contraction of the formula from the belief set is obtained by first expanding the language to include those additional letters, then closing the belief set under classical consequence over the enlarged language, and finally applying an AGM (or other given) contraction with respect to that closure.