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Deontic Logic: An Introduction

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Deontic Logic: Introductory and Systematic Readings

Part of the book series: Synthese Library ((SYLI,volume 33))

Abstract

The word ‘deontic’ is derived from the Greek word ‘δεóυτως’, which may be translated ‘as it should be’ or ‘duly’. Bentham uses ‘deontology’ for “the science of morality”, and Ernst Mally [30] was the first to use the term — in the form Deontik — to refer to logical study of the normative use of language. In accordance with Bolzano and Quine’s definition of logical truth, deontic logic can be defined as the study of those sentences in which only logical words and normative expressions occur essentially.1 Normative expressions include the words ‘obligation’, ‘duty’, ‘permission’, ‘right’, and related expressions. These expressions may be termed deontic words, and sentences involving them deontic sentences.2 A deontic sentence is a truth of deontic logic if it is true and remains true for all variations of its non-logical and non-deontic words (that is, expressions which are not logical or deontic words). Deontic logic is closely related to the logic of imperatives (or the logic of commands); in fact, many authors regard these fields as essentially the same.3 What is here called deontic logic has also been referred to as logic of obligation and logic of norms (or logic of normative systems).4

Section I-V of this paper are written by Risto Hilpinen on the basis of lecture-notes by Dagfinn Føllesdal; section VI-IX are written independently by Risto Hilpinen.

This work has been supported by grants from the Finnish Cultural Foundation (Suomen Kulttuurirahasto) and the Finnish National Research Council for Social Sciences (Valtion yhteiskuntatieteellinen toimikunta).

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Authors
  1. Dagfinn Føllesdal
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  2. Risto Hilpinen
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Philosophy, University of Turku, Finland

    Risto Hilpinen

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© 1970 D. Reidel Publishing Company, Dordrecht, Holland

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Føllesdal, D., Hilpinen, R. (1970). Deontic Logic: An Introduction. In: Hilpinen, R. (eds) Deontic Logic: Introductory and Systematic Readings. Synthese Library, vol 33. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-010-3146-2_1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-010-3146-2_1

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht

  • Print ISBN: 978-90-277-1302-5

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