Properties of Goal Systems: Consistency, Conflict, and Coherence

• Published in: Studia logica Vol. 89; no. 1; pp. 37 - 58
• Main Author: Rosencrantz, Holger
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Dordrecht Springer 01.06.2008; Springer Netherlands
• Subjects: Belief; coherence; Computational Linguistics; Education; Epistemology; Filosofiämnen; goal conflict; goal systems; Historisk-filosofiska ämnen; History and philosophy subjects; HUMANIORA och RELIGIONSVETENSKAP; HUMANITIES and RELIGION; Logic; Mathematical Logic and Foundations; Maximality; Philosophical analysis; Philosophy; Philosophy subjects; Profits; Rational choice theory; Rationality; Reason; Sustainable cities; Truth; coherence; goal systems; goal conflict
• ISSN: 0039-3215; 1572-8730; 1572-8730
• DOI: 10.1007/s11225-008-9117-6

The paper provides a formal representation of goal systems. The focus is on three properties: consistency, conflict, and coherence. An aim is to attain conceptual clarity of these properties. It is argued that consistency is adequately regarded as a property relative to the decision situation or, more specifically, the set of alternatives that the agent faces. Moreover, as a condition of rationality, consistency is stronger than some writers have claimed. Conflict is adequately regarded as a relation over subsets of a given goal system and should likewise be regarded as relative to the set of alternatives that the agent faces. Coherence is given a probabilistic interpretation, based on a support relation over subsets of goal systems.