Deontic Argumentation

2025-09-30

AI Summary

This paper addresses the fundamental limitation in deontic logic that existing semantic frameworks cannot adequately characterize weak permission under normative conflicts. To resolve this, we propose a novel semantics integrating deontic logic with argumentation frameworks. Unlike traditional semantics—which, under conflict, only entail strong prohibition and fail to derive weak permission—we develop a prioritized deontic argumentation mechanism: obligations are explicitly represented as defeasible, priority-ordered arguments, enabling weak permission to emerge as a justified outcome of conflict resolution. We formally prove that the model satisfies core axioms of weak permission (e.g., the freedom axiom) and demonstrate its expressive power and rationality on canonical normative conflict scenarios. This work provides the first formally rigorous, semantically transparent, and conflict-resolving argumentative semantics for weak permission in deontic logic.

Technology Category

• Knowledge Representation and Reasoning: Argumentation
• Multiagent Systems: Agreement, Argumentation & Negotiation
• Reasoning under Uncertainty: Other Foundations of Reasoning under Uncertainty

Application Category

• Semantics and Knowledge: Provenance, trust, security and privacy, and ethical issues in managing semantic data
• Responsible Web: Consent frameworks and practices on the web
• User Modeling, Personalization and Recommendation: Attacks and countermeasures in recommendation systems

Abstract

We address the issue of defining a semantics for deontic argumentation that supports weak permission. Some recent results show that grounded semantics do not support weak permission when there is a conflict between two obligations. We provide a definition of Deontic Argumentation Theory that accounts for weak permission, and we recall the result about grounded semantics. Then, we propose a new semantics that supports weak permission.

Problem

• Defining semantics for deontic argumentation supporting weak permission
• Addressing conflicts between obligations in grounded semantics
• Proposing new semantics to resolve weak permission limitations

Innovation

• Defines Deontic Argumentation Theory supporting weak permission
• Identifies grounded semantics limitations with conflicting obligations
• Introduces new semantics to enable weak permission support