Divine Commands and Deontic Logics

Abstract

Abstract Deontic logics are formal systems that capture the logical principles which govern reasoning involving what ought to be. Sometimes, what ought to be is thought of, narrowly, as encompassing no more than the obligatory; other deontic logicians take what ought to be as covering whatever is ideal, good, or valuable. This chapter attempts to discover whether the fundamental conceptions of some of the more intriguing systems of deontic logic are compatible with a divine command conception of what ought to be. It argues that several of these systems of deontic logic can be provided with foundations in a divine conception of what ought to be.