Relative contingency and bimodality (Q1945710)

The paper studies the logics with a deontic operator \(O\) which is defined as \(OA =_{\mathrm{def}} \square(Q \supset A)\), where \(\square\) is logical necessity and \(Q\) is a propositional constant, axiomatized by \(\lozenge Q\) with the intuitive meaning ``the moral (legal) code is applied''. The minimal contingency system \(K\Delta\tau w\) is an extension of classical (propositional) logic in the signature \(\bot,\supset\) by endowing it with a new connective \(\Delta\), where \(\Delta\) may be read as ``non-contingently'' or ``absolutely'', and with a new constant \(\tau\), which is intended to have the meaning of some statement which is essentially contingent. The additional axioms are: \(K\Delta\)1. \(\Delta p \equiv \Delta\neg p\); \(K\Delta\)2. \((\Delta p \land \Delta q) \supset \Delta(p \land q)\); \(K\Delta\)3. \((\Delta p \land \nabla(\neg p \lor r)) \supset \Delta(p \lor q)\), where \(\nabla A =_{\mathrm{def}} \neg \Delta A\); \(\Delta\tau w\). \(\Delta \tau \supset \Delta p\). The additional inference rules are \({\vdash A} \longrightarrow {\vdash \Delta A}\) and \({\vdash A \equiv B} \longrightarrow {\vdash \Delta A \equiv \Delta B}\). In Section 2, an adequate semantics for the system \(K\Delta\tau w\) is constructed. Necessity can be defined as \(\square A =_{\mathrm{def}} \Delta A \land \Delta(\tau \supset A)\) and the definitional equivalence of the systems \(K\Delta\tau w\) and \(K\square\tau w\) is proven in Section 3. In Section 4, the following bimodal system \(K\square O\) is introduced and studied: \(K\). \(\square(p \supset q) \supset (\square p \supset \square q)\); \(O\). \(O(p \supset q) \supset (O p \supset O q)\); \(\square O\). \(\square p \supset O p\); and the inference rules are modus ponens, substitution, necessitation and replacement of proved material equivalents.