Semantics for more plausible deontic logics (Q598539)

The usual `possible worlds' semantics for deontic logic uses preference relations between possible worlds. This gives rise to features that are commonly regarded as unnatural, often termed paradoxical. In recent publications, the author has investigated the alternative idea of basing deontic logic on preference relations between specific actions [see his book, The structure of values and norms. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press (2001; Zbl 0983.03002), and the paper ``A new representation theorem for contranegative deontic logic'', Stud. Log. 77, 1--7 (2004; Zbl 1047.03013)]. In the present paper, he reviews the leading threads of those investigations (notably his principle of contranegativity) and the features of the resulting constructions, with attention to their weaknesses as well as strengths. He concludes that ``although some progress has been made in the construction of a plausible semantics for deontic logic based on contranegativity, it still remains to develop a plausible semantic structure that has the simplicity of SDL [standard deontic logic] but not its implausible consequences''.