b. 1950
Wolfgang Spohn is a contemporary German philosopher known for his work in formal epistemology, philosophy of science, and decision theory. He is best known for developing ranking theory (also called Spohn's ranking functions), a formal framework for representing degrees of belief and belief revision that serves as an alternative to probabilistic approaches.
Developed ranking theory as a formal framework for belief revision and epistemic states
Contributed foundational work on causation, deliberation, and decision theory
Authored 'The Laws of Belief' (2012), a major systematic treatment of ranking theory
Advanced the analysis of common knowledge and game-theoretic epistemology
Held the chair of Philosophy and Philosophy of Science at the University of Konstanz