Workshop on Deontic Logic

Philosophy and Science Studies, RUC, and the ILLC, University of Amsterdam, would like to invite researchers and students to Denmark for a two-day workshop on deontic logic. The workshop will consist of presentations by PhD students and by leading figures in the field.

Deontic Logic

Deontic logic is the study of obligations, permissions, and prohibitions with logical tools. Three perspectives on deontic logic are especially welcome for this particular workshop.


- Multi-modal systems including the interrelation between deontic operators and other (modal) operators and/or multi-agent formalisms.
- Defeasible aspects of deontic logic.
- New semantic foundations for deontic logic.

Other logical approaches to the modeling of norms are also welcome.

Multi-Modal Systems

At least three kinds of multi-modal systems are relevant. Systems with deontic operators for multiple agents, systems with multiple deontic operators differing in content or strength and systems combining deontic operators with other operators, epistemic, doxastic, temporal, and so on. Recently, systems have been created to combine for example preferences and norms, knowledge and norms, and deontic logic and decision theory.

Defeasible Aspects of Deontic Logic

Finding out what the defeasible aspects of deontic reasoning are, bearing in mind the central distinction between violating and defeating a norm is a central issue, related to e.g. moral dilemmas.

New Semantic Foundations for Deontic Logic

A fundamental issue in deontic logic, which also relates to the counter-intuitive deontic paradoxes, regards finding a natural and useful semantics for the logic. It might be that this issue cannot be resolved without considering some or all of the aspects above, or perhaps new tools are required.

Anthology on Current Trends in Deontic Logic from Synthese Library

At least some of the papers will go into an anthology with the working title New Trends in Deontic Logic to enter the Synthese Library series (The book is edited by Frank Veltman, Stig Andur Pedersen and Martin M. Bentzen. Editor in chief for Synthese library is Vincent F. Hendricks).

Structure and Participation

We are inviting PhD students and other researchers working within the area to submit papers for presentation at the workshop. Please submit abstracts no later than August 23, 2007 to Martin M. Bentzen, mamobe@ruc.dk

Time and Place

November 8-9, 2007, Section for Philosophy and Science Studies, Roskilde University, Denmark.

Please write to mamobe@ruc.dk
with any questions regarding this workshop.

This workshop is part of the ongoing collaboration between ILLC, University of Amsterdam, and Section for Philosophy and Science Studies, Roskilde University in the project Reasoning about Norms