Agency and deontic logic

Abstract

It is often assumed in deontic logic that the notion of what an agent ought to do can be identified with the notion of what it ought to be that the agent does. By combining deontic logic with a theory of agency, John F. Horty provides a framework within which this assumption can be formulated precisely and shown to be mistaken. The alternative account presented here relies on an analogy between action in deterministic time and choice under uncertainty, as it is studied in decision theory. (publisher, edited)