Classificatory Aspects of Counts-as: An Analysis in Modal Logic

The paper investigates the logic underlying statements of the form “X counts as Y in context C” which are commonly considered to represent the paradigmatic syntax of constitutive rules, i.e., the nonregulative component of normative systems. The analytical thesis backing the whole work consists in interpreting such statements as contextual classifications. This reading of counts-as is thoroughly investigated in two variants which we call the contextual classificatory reading and the proper contextual classificatory reading. The formal analysis of these readings, which we carry out making use of modal logic, disentangles two possible senses in which counts-as statements can be interpreted within a classificatory perspective, and clarifies the logical relations holding between them. The proposal is then compared in detail with previous work on the topic, in order to shed light on similarities, differences, and their grounds.