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An abstract machine for reasoning about situations, actions, and causality

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Extensions of Logic Programming (ELP 1996)

Part of the book series: Lecture Notes in Computer Science ((LNAI,volume 1050))

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Abstract

Over the last years several new approaches for modeling situations, actions, and causality within a deductive framework were proposed. These new approaches treat the facts about a situation as resources, which are consumed and produced by actions. In this paper we extend one of these approaches, viz. an equational logic approach, by reifying actions to become resources as well. Using the concept of a membrane we show how abstractions and hierarchical planning can be modeled in such an equational logic. Moreover, we rigorously prove that the extended equational logic program can be mapped onto the so-called chemical abstract machine [1]. As this machine is a model for parallel processes this may lead to a parallel computational model for reasoning about situations, actions, and causality.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Computer Science, University of Bristol, Queen's Building, University Walk, BS8 1TR, Bristol, UK

    Kerstin Eder

  2. Wissensverarbeitung, Informatik, TU Dresden, D-01062, Dresden, Germany

    Steffen Hölldobler

  3. International Computer Science Institute, 1947 Center Street, 94704-1198, Berkeley, CA, USA

    Michael Thielscher

Authors
  1. Kerstin Eder
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  2. Steffen Hölldobler
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  3. Michael Thielscher
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Editor information

Roy Dyckhoff Heinrich Herre Peter Schroeder-Heister

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© 1996 Springer-Verlag

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Eder, K., Hölldobler, S., Thielscher, M. (1996). An abstract machine for reasoning about situations, actions, and causality. In: Dyckhoff, R., Herre, H., Schroeder-Heister, P. (eds) Extensions of Logic Programming. ELP 1996. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol 1050. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/3-540-60983-0_9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/3-540-60983-0_9

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-540-60983-4

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-540-49751-6

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