Skip main navigation

Cookies Notification

We use cookies on this site to enhance your user experience. By continuing to browse the site, you consent to the use of our cookies. Learn More
×

System Upgrade on Tue, May 28th, 2024 at 2am (EDT)

Existing users will be able to log into the site and access content. However, E-commerce and registration of new users may not be available for up to 12 hours.
For online purchase, please visit us again. Contact us at customercare@wspc.com for any enquiries.

SEARCH GUIDE  Download Search Tip PDF File

  • articleNo Access

    PRODUCT-BASED CAUSAL NETWORKS AND QUANTITATIVE POSSIBILISTIC BASES

    In possibility theory, there are two kinds of possibilistic causal networks depending if possibilistic conditioning is based on the minimum or on the product operator. Similarly there are also two kinds of possibilistic logic: standard (min-based) possibilistic logic and quantitative (product-based) possibilistic logic. Recently, several equivalent transformations between standard possibilistic logic and min-based causal networks have been proposed. This paper goes one step further and shows that product-based causal networks can be encoded into product-based knowledge bases. The converse transformation is also provided.

  • articleNo Access

    Comparing and Weakening Possibilistic Knowledge Bases

    Weighted logics are important tools for reasoning under uncertain knowledge. A weighted knowledge base is a set of weighted formulas of the form i, αi) where φi is a propositional formula and αi is the certainty degree associated with φi. This paper addresses two issues in the possibility theory framework: i) how to compare two weighted knowledge bases with respect to their information contents? and ii) how to syntactically define the concept of forgetting variables? We show that comparing knowledge bases is the counterpart of the concept of the specificity relation defined between possibility distributions.

  • articleNo Access

    Inconsistency Management from the Standpoint of Possibilistic Logic

    Uncertainty and inconsistency pervade human knowledge. Possibilistic logic, where propositional logic formulas are associated with lower bounds of a necessity measure, handles uncertainty in the setting of possibility theory. Moreover, central in standard possibilistic logic is the notion of inconsistency level of a possibilistic logic base, closely related to the notion of consistency degree of two fuzzy sets introduced by L. A. Zadeh. Formulas whose weight is strictly above this inconsistency level constitute a sub-base free of any inconsistency. However, several extensions, allowing for a paraconsistent form of reasoning, or associating possibilistic logic formulas with information sources or subsets of agents, or extensions involving other possibility theory measures, provide other forms of inconsistency, while enlarging the representation capabilities of possibilistic logic. The paper offers a structured overview of the various forms of inconsistency that can be accommodated in possibilistic logic. This overview echoes the rich representation power of the possibility theory framework.

  • articleNo Access

    A Probabilistic Approach to Ordering Formulas in a Possibilistic Knowledge Base

    In this paper, a careful analysis of interval-valued possibilistic knowledge bases indicates that there exists a natural probability distribution over the set of orderings of formulae compatible with the weights given in the knowledge base. We propose a new view, by which a possibilistic knowledge base can be considered in term of such probability distribution. It reveals some interconnections between probabilistic and possibilistic logics. We show that the principle of minimum specificity, widely used in possibilistic logic, is a special case of the principle of maximum likehood (at least, from the standpoint of nonmonotonic reasoning). We propose a formula to calculate probability for a defeasible conclusion. Moreover, the proposed view seems to be useful for other practical purposes. As an example, we apply it to a traditional problem of fusion of possibilistic knowledge from many sources and derive a new solution.