1879 – 1944
Ernst Mally (1879-1944) was an Austrian philosopher and logician, a student of Alexius Meinong, best known for founding deontic logic and contributing to object theory. His work on nonexistent objects and the distinction between exemplifying and encoding properties influenced later metaphysics, particularly Edward Zalta's abstract object theory.
Founded deontic logic in his 1926 work Grundgesetze des Sollens
Developed the distinction between encoding and exemplifying properties
Extended Meinong's object theory with formal rigor
Influenced Edward Zalta's theory of abstract objects
Pioneered formal approaches to normative reasoning