Logic and ethics: An integrated model for norms, intentions and actions

Abstract

The paper investigates the way norms relate to and affect agents’ intentions and actions. Current work in deontic logic dealing with agency mainly falls within two different groups: a variety of frameworks which adopt a purely external approach and represent agency in terms of possible outcomes of actions, and frameworks which instead endorse an internal approach and focus exclusively on the agent’s intentions. The paper argues that neither of these models alone can produce a satisfactory analysis. An integrated model which combines the internal and external approaches is therefore put forward. The model is dynamic and represents the change that accepting a goal norm triggers in an agent’s intentions (especially the so-called “prior-intentions”) and actions.