Skip to main content

Lund University Publications

LUND UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES

Nondeterminacy, two-step models and justified choice

Herlitz, Anders LU (2019) In Ethics 129(2). p.284-308
Abstract
This article analyzes approaches to nondeterminacy (e.g., incommensurability, indeterminacy, parity) that suggest that one can make justified choices when primary criteria fail to fully determine a best alternative by introducing a secondary criterion. It is shown that these approaches (in the article called “two-step models”) risk violating Basic Contraction Consistency. Some ways of adjusting two-step models in order to protect against this are addressed, and it is suggested that proponents of two-step models should adopt formal conditions which qualify what counts as a permissible secondary criterion that resemble supervaluationist conditions that qualify what counts as admissible precisifications of vague terms.
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
in
Ethics
volume
129
issue
2
pages
284 - 308
publisher
University of Chicago Press
external identifiers
  • scopus:85059104369
ISSN
1539-297X
DOI
10.1086/700032
language
English
LU publication?
no
id
fdc21cf2-df18-49b1-99b1-3b6aa8642d25
date added to LUP
2024-12-10 14:51:35
date last changed
2025-10-14 10:46:00
@article{fdc21cf2-df18-49b1-99b1-3b6aa8642d25,
  abstract     = {{This article analyzes approaches to nondeterminacy (e.g., incommensurability, indeterminacy, parity) that suggest that one can make justified choices when primary criteria fail to fully determine a best alternative by introducing a secondary criterion. It is shown that these approaches (in the article called “two-step models”) risk violating Basic Contraction Consistency. Some ways of adjusting two-step models in order to protect against this are addressed, and it is suggested that proponents of two-step models should adopt formal conditions which qualify what counts as a permissible secondary criterion that resemble supervaluationist conditions that qualify what counts as admissible precisifications of vague terms.}},
  author       = {{Herlitz, Anders}},
  issn         = {{1539-297X}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{2}},
  pages        = {{284--308}},
  publisher    = {{University of Chicago Press}},
  series       = {{Ethics}},
  title        = {{Nondeterminacy, two-step models and justified choice}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1086/700032}},
  doi          = {{10.1086/700032}},
  volume       = {{129}},
  year         = {{2019}},
}