Change, Change, Change: Three Approaches

We consider the frame problem, that is, char­ acterizing the assumption that properties tend to persist over time. We show that there are at least three distinct assumptions that can be made. We show the first assumption, which have been widely studied, is not naturally captured by circumscription. The first assumption is, "there is as little change as possible between one situation and the next". This is closely re­ lated to temporal projection. The second assumption is that actions have as few effects as possible. This has arisen in causal approaches. We show this assumption cannot be captured by any circumscription policy, as it compares models with different domains. We consider a third assumption—there are as many frame axioms true as possible—which can be captured by circumscription. All three as­ sumptions differ, which we show by giving ex­ amples. All agree on a small class of theories, those axiomatized by effect axioms and a class of sen­ tences we call c...

• Type: Conference
• Year: 1997
• Where: IJCAI
• Authors: Tom Costello
• Keywords: Distinct Assumptions, Frame Problem, IJCAI 1997, IJCAI 2007, Little Change