Skip to main content
Springer Nature Link
Log in

Deontic logic as founded on nonmonotonic logic

  • Published:
Annals of Mathematics and Artificial Intelligence Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Ever since its inception in the work of von Wright, deontic logic has been developed primarily as a species of modal logic. I argue in this paper, however, that the techniques of nonmonotonic logic may provide a better theoretical framework — at least for the formalization of commensense normative reasoning — than the usual modal treatment. After reviewing some standard approaches to deontic logic, I focus on two areas in which nonmonotonic techniques promise improved understanding: reasoning in the presence of conflicting obligations, and reasoning with conditional obligations.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Subscribe and save

Springer+ Basic
$34.99 /Month
  • Get 10 units per month
  • Download Article/Chapter or eBook
  • 1 Unit = 1 Article or 1 Chapter
  • Cancel anytime
Subscribe now

Buy Now

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

Explore related subjects

Discover the latest articles, news and stories from top researchers in related subjects.

References

  1. A. Anderson, N. Belnap and J.M. Dunn,Entailment: The Logic of Relevance and Necessity, Vol. 2 (Princeton University Press, 1992).

  2. N. Belnap, How a computer should think, in:Contemporary Aspects of Philosophy, ed. G. Ryle (Oriel Press, 1977) pp. 30–56.

  3. N. Belnap, A useful four-valued logic, in:Modern Uses of Multiple-valued Logic, ed. J.M. Dunn and G. Epstein (Reidel, 1977) pp. 8–37.

  4. C. Boutilier, Conditional logics for default reasoning and belief revision, Ph.D. Dissertation, Computer Science Department, University of Toronto (1992). Available as Technical Report KRR-TR-92-1.

  5. B. Chellas, Conditional obligation, in:Logical Theory and Semantic Analysis, ed. S. Stenlund (Reidel, 1974) pp. 23–33.

  6. B. Chellas,Modal Logic: An Introduction (Cambridge University Press, 1980).

  7. E. Davis,Representations of Commonsense Knowledge (Kaufmann, 1990).

  8. J. Delgrande, An approach to default reasoning based on a first-order conditional logic: revised report, Artificial Intelligence 36(1988)63–90.

    Google Scholar 

  9. D. Dennett, The moral first aid manual, in:The Tanner Lectures on Human Values, Vol. VIII (Cambridge University Press, 1988) pp. 119–147.

  10. A. Donagan, Consistency in rationalist moral systems, J. Philosophy 81(1984)291–309.

    Google Scholar 

  11. P. Foot, Moral realism and moral dilemma, J. Philosophy 80(1983)379–398.

    Google Scholar 

  12. H. Geffner, Default reasoning: Causal and conditional theories, Ph.D. Dissertation, Computer Science Department, UCLA (1989). Available as Technical Report 137.

  13. M. Gelfond, V. Lifschitz, H. Przymusinska and M. Truszczynski, Disjunctive defaults, in:Principles of Knowledge Representation and Reasoning: Proc. 2nd Int. Conf. (KR-91) (Morgan Kaufmann, 1991).

  14. B. Hansson, An analysis of some deontic logics, in:Deontic Logic: Introductory and Systematic Readings, ed. R. Hilpinen (Reidel, 1971) pp. 121–147.

  15. J. Hintikka, Deontic logic and its philosophical morals, in:Models for Modalities: Selected Essays, ed. J. Hintikka (Reidel, 1969) pp. 184–214.

  16. J. Horty, Moral dilemmas and nonmonotonic logic, J. Philos. Logic, forthcoming. A preliminary version appears inProc. 1st Int. Workshop on Deontic Logic in Computer Science, ed. J.-J. Ch. Meyer and R. Wieringa. Technical Report, Computer Science Department, Free University, Amsterdam, The Netherlands (1991).

    Google Scholar 

  17. J. Horty, Some direct theories of nonmonotonic inheritance,Handbook of Logic in Artificial Intelligence and Logic Programming, Vol. 2:Nonmonotonic Reasoning and Uncertain Reasoning, ed. D. Gabbay and C. Hogger (Oxford University Press, 1993).

  18. H. Kautz, The logic of persistence, in:Proc. 5th National Conf. on Artificial Intelligence (AAAI-86) (Morgan Kaufmann, 1986) pp. 401–405.

  19. S. Kraus, D. Lehmann and M. Magidor, Nonmonotonic reasoning, preferential models and cumulative logics, Artificial Intelligence 44(1990)167–207.

    Google Scholar 

  20. E.J. Lemmon, Moral dilemmas, Philos. Rev. 70(1962)139–158.

    Google Scholar 

  21. D. Lewis,Counterfactuals (Harvard University Press, 1973).

  22. D. Lewis, Semantic analses for dyadic deontic logic,in:Logical Theory and Semantic Analysis, ed. S. Stenlund (Reidel, 1974) pp. 1–14.

  23. R.B. Marcus, Moral dilemmas and consistency, J. Philosophy 77(1980)121–136.

    Google Scholar 

  24. J. Minker, On indefinite databases and the close world assumption, in:Proc. 6th Conf. on Automated Deduction, Lecture Notes in Computer Science (Springer, 1982) pp. 292–308.

  25. J. McCarthy, Circumscription — a form of nonmonotonic reasoning, Artificial Intelligence 13(1980) 27–39.

    Google Scholar 

  26. J. Pollock, How to reason defeasibly, Manuscript, Philosophy Department, University of Arizona (1991).

  27. A.N. Prior,Formal Logic (Oxford University Press, 1962).

  28. R. Reiter, A logic for default reasoning, Artificial Intelligence 13(1980)81–132.

    Google Scholar 

  29. J.P Sartre,L'Existentialisme est un Humanisme (Nagel, 1946). Translated as “Existentialism is a Humanism” in:Existentialism from Dostoevsky to Sartre, ed. W. Kaufmann (Meridian Press, 1975).

  30. Y. Shoham,Reasoning about Change (MIT Press, 1988).

  31. R. Thomason, Deontic logic as founded on tense logic, in:New Studies in Deontic Logic, ed. R. Hilpinin and D. Follesdal (Reidel, 1981) pp. 141–152.

  32. D. Touretzky, J. Horty and R. Thomason, A clash of intuitions: the current state of nonmonotonic multiple inheritance systems, in:Proc. 10th Int. Joint Conf. on Artificial Intelligence (IJCAI-87) (Morgan Kaufmann, 1987) pp. 476–482.

  33. D. Touretzky, R. Thomason and J. Horty, A skeptic's menagerie: conflictors, preemptors, reinstaters, and zombies in nonmonotonic inheritance, in:Proc. 12th Int. Joint Conf. on Artificial Intelligence (IJCAI-91) (Morgan Kaufmann, 1991) pp. 478–483.

  34. J. van Benthem, Private correspondence (March 1992).

  35. B. van Fraassen, The logic of conditional obligation, J. Philos. Logic 1(1972)417–438.

    Google Scholar 

  36. B. van Fraassen, Values and the heart's command, J. Philosophy 70(1973)5–19.

    Google Scholar 

  37. G.H. von Wright, Deontic logic, Mind 60(1951)1–15.

    Google Scholar 

  38. M. Wellman and J. Doyle, Preferential semantics for goals, in:Proc. AAAI-91 (MIT Press, 1991) pp. 698–703.

  39. R.J. Wieringa and J.-J. Ch. Meyer, Applications of deontic logic in computer science: a concise overview, in:Proc. 1st Int. Workshop on Deontic Logic in Computer Science, ed. J.-J. Ch. Meyer and R. Wieringa, Technical Report, Computer Science Department, Free University, Amsterdam, The Netherlands (1991).

    Google Scholar 

  40. B. Williams, Ethical consistency, in:Proc. of the Aristotelian Society, Supp. Vol. 39(1965) pp. 103–124. A revised version appears in: B. Williams,Problems of the Self: Philosphical Papers 1956–1972 (Cambridge University Press, 1973) pp. 166–186.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Philosophy Department and Institute for Advanced Computer Studies, University of Maryland, 20742, College Park, MD, USA

    John F. Horty

Authors
  1. John F. Horty
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Horty, J.F. Deontic logic as founded on nonmonotonic logic. Ann Math Artif Intell 9, 69–91 (1993). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01531262

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01531262

Keywords