Deontic Explanations in Åqvist's Systems

Abstract

We propose a logic-based formalization of deontic explanations, which aim to address questions about obligations and permissions such as “Why does this norm apply?” or “Why should I perform A rather than B?”. Our framework is designed to be flexible, accommodating various deontic logics. In this work, we build on ˚Aqvist’s dyadic deontic logics, extending them by introducing an obligation operator that supports Factual Detachment along with mechanisms for non-monotonic reasoning. Applying our framework to legal examples, we demonstrate its effectiveness in explaining normative statements while also identifying its limitations.