“Must” … Stay … Strong!

With my frequent collaborator, Thony Gillies, I am working on the fourth article in our trilogy on epistemic modality. The previous installments are, of course:

1. The Article Formerly Known As “Epistemic Modality for Dummies”
2. CIA Leaks
3. Might Made Right

The fourth one is called “Must … Stay … Strong!” and attacks the persistent myth or mantra that must p is a weaker claim that plain p. We have started taking the material on the road, but there’s plenty of work to be done. For now, there are an evolving slideshow for various presentations and a handout based on the slides. As always, we’d appreciate any comments, criticism, and feedback.

[Update (5/21/08): A full draft of the "Must ... Stay ... Strong!" paper is now available.]