On the symmetric difference of fuzzy sets (Q2386257)

The fuzzy logical operators of conjunction, disjunction, negation, and implication have been thoroughly studied and are widely known and used. This paper presents a study on an operation that has received considerably less attention so far in the fuzzy logic community, namely the ``exclusive or'' operation. The authors call the fuzzy logical extension of this operation a symmetric difference operator. They give a general definition by putting forward basic requirements and boundary conditions, much in the same style as the definitions of, e.g., t-norms and t-conorms. They investigate to what extent the fuzzy counterparts of equivalent expressions for the symmetric difference from the two-valued case fit their definition. Sometimes there is a wide variety of possible solutions, while at other times, quite surprisingly, none at all. The reader who wonders whether this might be due to the definition being too strict, should surely read on to section 6, where one of the requirements is relaxed and a new range of possibilities opens up. This paper is pleasant to read. I recommend it as a starting point for those that need a fuzzy logical ``exclusive or'' operation in their application-oriented research, as well as for those that are interested in digging into the theory more deeply. In fact, the authors conclude by pointing out some interesting directions and open questions.