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From: rar@saturn.ads.com (Bob Riemenschneider)
Newsgroups: comp.ai
Subject: Re: Workshop on deontic logic in computer science
Message-ID: <RAR.91Jan24112645@saturn.ads.com>
Date: 24 Jan 91 19:26:45 GMT
References: <8784@star.cs.vu.nl> <22858@well.sf.ca.us>
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Organization: Advanced Decision Systems, Mountain View, CA 94043, +1 (415)
	960-7300
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In-Reply-To: nagle@well.sf.ca.us's message of 24 Jan 91 07:23:18 GMT

In article <22858@well.sf.ca.us> nagle@well.sf.ca.us (John Nagle) writes:

=>   What is deontic logic?  

Roughly, deontic logic is a modal logic with deontic modalities ("it
is obligatory that", "it is permissable that") rather than the usual
alethic modalities ("it is necessary that", "it is possible that").
It's interesting to modal logicians in that the deontic analogues of
some very basic alethic principles fail.  Most notably

                             []p -> p

isn't formally valid if `[]' is given the deontic reading (you may be
obligated to do something and yet not do it).  As far as applications
are concerned, it's been used since the mid '60s to formalize legal
arguments (by Allen, the inventor of Wff 'n' Proof, among others).  If
the applications to CS aren't obvious, have another look at the topics
in the conference announcement.

=>   My membership in the Logic of the Month Club has lapsed.

I presume the renewal deadline just slipped your mind and that your
check is in the mail!

							-- rar