E-LOGOS 2026, 33(1):33-40 | DOI: 10.18267/j.e-logos.520

On the Semantics and Metaphysics of “Expected”

Lajos Brons
Sado, Niigata, Japan

The expression ⌜expected x⌝ and other phrases in which “expected” appears to function like an adjective are potentially misleading. Except if x is real and in the past, “expected” is not a predicate, but an operator similar to the doxastic belief operator and an expected x is not an x. Instead, a phrase involving some ⌜expected x⌝ (typically) specifies an expectation about x, and expectations imply agents having those expectations. This analysis matters for moral philosophy, in which expected consequences — which, by implication, are not (a kind of) consequences — play an important role.

Keywords: expectations, doxastic logic, philosophy of language, metaphysics, consequentialism, expected consequences.

Received: January 24, 2026; Revised: August 16, 2026; Accepted: August 28, 2026; Published: August 31, 2026  Show citation

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Brons, L. (2026). On the Semantics and Metaphysics of “Expected”. E-LOGOS, 33(1), 33-40. doi: 10.18267/j.e-logos.520
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