The area of formal ethics is experiencing a shift from a unique or standard approach to normative reasoning, as exemplified by so-called standard deontic logic, to a variety of application-specific theories. Deontic logic is the formal study of principles of normative reasoning, viz. reasoning about norms (obligation, permission, prohibition). It was originally developed as a tool for formalizing normative reasoning in ethical and legal contexts and has since been explored primarily by philosophical logicians and a few legal theorists. A number of systems have been proposed. The challenges of the adequate handling of normative concepts such as obligation, permission, prohibition, and moral commitment are also illustrated by the notorious paradoxes of normative reasoning. Deontic logics were developed by logicians and philosophers, with little interest in automation and implementation. 

In this seminar we will survey this increasingly important research area. We will put a particular focus on the practical development of computational tools for normative reasoning based on formal methods. The overall motivation is to devise and implement flexible and powerful ethical and legal governors for autonomous intelligent systems.

Participants of this seminar (BSc and MSc students) are expected to possess some basic logic background. Highly motivated participants from other disciplines (e.g. maths, philosophy, law, history and the social social sciences) are welcome.