"A central goal of artificial intelligence is to give a computer program commonsense understanding of basic domains such as time, space, simple laws of nature, and simple facts about human minds. Many different systems of representation and inference have been developed for expressing such knowledge and reasoning with it. Representations of Commonsense Knowledge is the first thorough study of these techniques. The first three chapters establish a general framework in domain-independent terms, discussing methodology, deductive logics, and theories of plausible inference. Subsequent chapters each deal with representations and inferences in specific domains: quantities, time, space, physics, knowledge and belief, plans and goals, and interactions among agents. The power of these representations in expressing world knowledge and in supporting significant inferences is analyzed using many detailed examples. The discussion includes both representations that have been used in successful AI programs and those that have been developed in purely abstract settings."--Book cover.
Description:
"A central goal of artificial intelligence is to give a computer program commonsense understanding of basic domains such as time, space, simple laws of nature, and simple facts about human minds. Many different systems of representation and inference have been developed for expressing such knowledge and reasoning with it. Representations of Commonsense Knowledge is the first thorough study of these techniques. The first three chapters establish a general framework in domain-independent terms, discussing methodology, deductive logics, and theories of plausible inference. Subsequent chapters each deal with representations and inferences in specific domains: quantities, time, space, physics, knowledge and belief, plans and goals, and interactions among agents. The power of these representations in expressing world knowledge and in supporting significant inferences is analyzed using many detailed examples. The discussion includes both representations that have been used in successful AI programs and those that have been developed in purely abstract settings."--Book cover.