Can OUGHT be derived from IS? This book presents an investigation of this time-honored problem by means of alethic-deontic predicate logic. New in this study is the leitmotif of relevance: is-ought inferences indeed exist, but they are all irrelevant in a precise logical sense. New proof techniques establish this result for very broad classes of logics. A profound philosophical analysis of is-ought bridge principles supplements the logical study. The final results imply incisive limitations for the justifiability of ethics as opposed to empirical science.
Author(s): Gerhard Schurz
Series: Trends in Logic 1
Publisher: Springer
Year: 1997
Language: English
Pages: 332
Tags: Logic; Interdisciplinary Studies; Philosophy of the Social Sciences; Philosophy of Science
Front Matter....Pages i-x
Philosophical Background and Program of the Study....Pages 1-32
The Logical Background: a.d.1-Logics....Pages 33-67
The Logical Explication of Hume’ s Thesis....Pages 68-84
The General Hume Thesis GH....Pages 85-103
The Special Hume Thesis SH....Pages 104-127
Weakened Versions of Hume’s Thesis in a.d.1- Logics with Bridge Principles....Pages 128-145
A.d.1-Logics with Weak Alethic Fragments: □ as a Subjective Propositional Attitude....Pages 146-159
Generalizations....Pages 160-174
Some Applications to Ethical Arguments....Pages 175-182
The Problems of Identity and Existence....Pages 183-232
Are There Analytic Bridge Principles? — A Philosophical Investigation....Pages 233-277
Are Synthetic Bridge Principles Scientifically Justifiable?....Pages 278-285
Back Matter....Pages 286-332
