Agency and Deontic Logic

by Horty, John F.

• ISBN13: 9780195134612
• ISBN10: 0195134613
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2001-01-11
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

John Horty effectively develops deontic logic (the logic of ethical concepts like obligation and permission) against the background of a formal theory of agency. He incorporates certain elements of decision theory to set out a new deontic account of what agents ought to do under variousconditions over extended periods of time. Offering a conceptual rather than technical emphasis, Horty's framework allows a number of recent issues from moral theory to be set out clearly and discussed from a uniform point of view.

Author Biography

John F. Horty is Professor in the Philosophy Department and the Institute for Advanced Computer Studies at the University of Maryland.

Table of Contents

Overview	3	(6)
Indeterminism and agency	6	(28)
Branching time	6	(5)
Frames and models	6	(4)
Propositions	10	(1)
Individual agency	11	(8)
Agents and choices	12	(2)
Stit operators	14	(2)
Some logical considerations	16	(3)
Individual ability	19	(10)
Kenny's objections	20	(2)
Brown's theory	22	(3)
Refraining and ability	25	(4)
Group agency and ability	29	(5)
Group actions	30	(2)
A group agency operator	32	(2)
Ought to be	34	(25)
The standard theory	34	(2)
A utilitarian theory	36	(8)
General models	36	(2)
Utilitarian models	38	(5)
Logic of the utilitarian ought	43	(1)
The Meinong/Chisholm analysis	44	(6)
The analysis	44	(3)
Some logical features	47	(3)
Evaluating the analysis	50	(9)
Agency in the complement	50	(3)
The gambling problem	53	(6)
Ought to do	59	(37)
Dominance	59	(10)
Ordering the propositions	60	(1)
A sure-thing argument	61	(5)
Ordering the actions	66	(3)
Dominance act utilitarianism	69	(5)
Optimal actions	69	(4)
The finite choice condition	73	(1)
A new deontic operator	74	(7)
The definition	74	(3)
Deontic logic and act utilitarianism	77	(1)
Logic of the dominance ought	78	(3)
Independence	81	(15)
Independence and conditionals	81	(5)
Conditionals and sure-thing reasoning	86	(3)
Refining the analysis	89	(7)
Conditional oughts	96	(26)
Conditionally optimal actions	96	(4)
A conditional ought operator	100	(4)
The definition	100	(1)
Some logical considerations	101	(3)
Two patterns of argument	104	(6)
The action argument	106	(1)
The ought argument	107	(3)
Orthodox act utilitarianism	110	(12)
An example	110	(4)
The definition	114	(3)
An orthodox deontic operator	117	(5)
Group oughts	122	(20)
Optimal group actions	122	(3)
Individual and group act utilitarianism	125	(5)
Deontic operators for group oughts	130	(5)
Definitions	130	(1)
Some logical points	131	(4)
Rule utilitarianism	135	(7)
Formulating the theory	136	(3)
Act and rule utilitarianism	139	(3)
Strategic oughts	142	(23)
Strategies	142	(6)
Basic ideas	143	(2)
Limiting the range	145	(3)
Strategies and choices	148	(5)
Agency	148	(4)
Ability	152	(1)
Strategic dominance and optimality	153	(4)
Dominance	153	(2)
Optimality	155	(2)
A strategic ought operator	157	(8)
The definition	157	(1)
Logical points	158	(2)
Actualism and possibilism	160	(5)
A Proofs of validities and propositions	165	(16)
A.1 Validities	165	(4)
A.2 Propositions	169	(12)
Bibliography	181	(7)
Index	188