Alternative approaches to default logic (Q1342221)

A new variant of Reiter's default logic, constrained default logic, is proposed where a global consistency condition is imposed. In constrained default logic it is required that the set of justifications of the default rules generating an extension need to be jointly consistent whereas in Reiter's default logic a local consistency condition is employed requiring that each justification is separately consistent with the extension. For constrained default logic, a fixed-point and a pseudo- iterative definition as well as semantic characterization are presented and properties of the variant are analyzed. For example, it is shown that every default theory has a constrained extension and that the logic is semi-monotonic but not cumulative. Then the case of prerequisite-free default rules is elaborated. A technique for translating normal and semi- normal default rules to prerequisite-free defaults is proposed and the resulting default theories are compared with the original ones. For example, it is indicated that the translated theories enable reasoning by cases and contraposition. It is also shown that for Reiter's default logic, the prerequisite-free fragment is neither cumulative nor semi- monotonic. For the prerequisite-free subclass of constrained default logic a simplified characterization is provided where a fixed-point condition is avoided. It is shown that this subclass is cumulative. For the prerequisite-free fragment of constrained default logic the possibility of reasoning about default rules is examined. The relationships between constrained default logic and the variants of default logic by Lukaszewicz and Brewka as well as the Theorist system are elaborated.