Defeasible Conditional Obligation in a Two-tiered Preference-based Semantics (Extended Version)

• URL: http://arxiv.org/abs/2604.26977v1
• Date: Tue, 28 Apr 2026 11:04:26 GMT
• Title: Defeasible Conditional Obligation in a Two-tiered Preference-based Semantics (Extended Version)
• Abstract summary: The paper extends a Hansson-Lewis style preference semantics for dyadic deontic logic.<n>A nonmonotonic reasoning mechanism enables previously derived obligations to be withdrawn when new, potentially conflicting information comes in.
• Score: 0.0
• License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Abstract: In response to a concern raised by Horty, this paper develops a two-tiered, preference-based semantic framework for modeling defeasible conditional obligations. The paper extends a Hansson-Lewis style preference semantics for dyadic deontic logic by incorporating a nonmonotonic reasoning mechanism that enables previously derived obligations to be withdrawn when new, potentially conflicting information comes in. The account is bi-preferential: two orderings--ideality and normality--on worlds are employed to address shortcomings in earlier approaches, with a separate ranking method for each. At the nonmonotonic layer, a number of postulates are considered, including antecedent strengthening, inclusion and no-drowning. A connection is established with so-called constrained input/output (I/O) logic--an existing standard for normative reasoning based on a different methodology.

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