Re: Knowledge Representation Problem
dwig@markv.com
To: cg@cs.umn.edu
Cc: sowa@ranch.poly.edu, cg@cs.umn.edu, interlingua@ISI.EDU, srkb@cs.umbc.edu,
sowa@ranch.poly.edu
In-reply-to: <199409281744.AA20764@dante.cs.uiuc.edu> (message from Pat Hayes on Wed, 28 Sep 1994 12:49:17 +0000)
Subject: Re: Knowledge Representation Problem
Date: Wed, 28 Sep 94 12:17:45 PDT
From: dwig@markv.com
Message-id: <9409281217.aa09669@hermix.markv.com>
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Pat Hayes writes:
> Hi John
> Thats a nice problem.
> Is the goal to simply produce a rational conceptual organisation sufficient
> to help a human programmer implement something, or to formalize the problem
> and the relevant background assumptions in enough detail to be able to draw
> some valid conclusions about it?
> Pat
I can't help responding to that "simply". Assuming that the goal is to
implement something more than just "something", e.g., a reservation system
that can adequately support the kinds of functions described, the human
programmer will of necessity have to "formalize the problem and the relevant
background assumptions in enough detail to be able to draw some valid
conclusions about it". The nature and purposes of the programmer's
formalizations and conclusions will be rather different than those of the
philosopher or AI researcher, however. His concerns are more immediate and
focused on the operational aspects of the problem.
Don Dwiggins "Solvitur Ambulando"
Mark V Systems, Inc.
dwig@markv.com