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A logically sound method for uncertain reasoning with quantified conditionals

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Qualitative and Quantitative Practical Reasoning (FAPR 1997, ECSQARU 1997)

Abstract

Conditionals play a central part in knowledge representation and reasoning. Describing certain relationships between antecedents and consequences by “if-then-sentences” their range of expressiveness includes commonsense knowledge as well as scientific statements. In this paper, we present the principles of maximum entropy resp. of minimum cross-entropy (ME-principles) as a logically sound and practicable method for representing and reasoning with quantified conditionals. First the meaning of these principles is made clear by sketching a characterization from a completely conditional-logical point of view. Then we apply the techniques presented to derive ME-deduction schemes and illustrate them by examples in the second part of this paper.

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Dov M. Gabbay Rudolf Kruse Andreas Nonnengart Hans Jürgen Ohlbach

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© 1997 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Kern-Isberner, G. (1997). A logically sound method for uncertain reasoning with quantified conditionals. In: Gabbay, D.M., Kruse, R., Nonnengart, A., Ohlbach, H.J. (eds) Qualitative and Quantitative Practical Reasoning. FAPR ECSQARU 1997 1997. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol 1244. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/BFb0035635

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BFb0035635

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  • Print ISBN: 978-3-540-63095-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-540-69129-7

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