How far can Hume's is-ought thesis be generalized? An investigation in alethic-deontic modal predicate logic (Q2276939)

The paper investigates what inferences are valid in modal deontic logics, with particular reference to the connection between deontic and non- deontic sentences. In particular, take a first-order language without identity, augmented with a modal operator, \(\square\), and a deontic operator, O. Call a sentence purely descriptive if it contains no occurrence of O; call a sentence scheme a bridge principle if it contains an occurrence of a schematic letter in the scope of and an O and another occurrence of the same letter not in the scope of an O. Let L be any logic that is obtained by adding to the basic normal modal deontic logic (arbitrary modal and deontic accessibility relations) any axiom schemes that are not bridge principles. The paper establishes that if \(\Sigma \vDash_ L\alpha\) then \(\Sigma \vDash_ L\alpha '\), where \(\alpha '\) is \(\alpha\) with any uniform substitution of its predicate letters. The paper claims this as a formulation and validation of Hume's is/ought thesis.