Abstract

In this paper we introduce Prohairetic Deontic Logic (PDL), a preference-based dyadic deontic logic. An obligation 'α should be (done) if β is (done)' is true if (1) no ¬αλβ state is as preferable as an αλβ state and (2) the preferred β states are α states. We show that the different elements of this mixed representation solve different problems of deontic logic. The first part of the definition is used to formalize contrary-toduty reasoning, that for example occurs in Chisholm's and Forrester's notorious deontic paradoxes. The second part is used to make dilemmas inconsistent. PDL shares the intuitive semantics of preference-based deontic logics without introducing additional semantic machinery such as bi-ordering semantics or ceteris paribus preferences.

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