On ensconcement and contraction

In this article we present an axiomatic characterization for the ensconcement-based contractions. We study the interrelation among ensconcement-based contractions and brutal contractions, and we present two ways of defining an ensconcement relation by means of a base contraction operation. Finally, we study the interrelations among ensconcement-based contraction and epistemic entrenchment-based contractions and among brutal contractions and severe withdrawals.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

An axiomatic characterization of ensconcement-based contraction

In this article, we propose an axiomatic characterization for ensconcement-based contraction functions, belief base functions proposed by Williams. We relate this function with other kinds of base contraction functions.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Studies on brutal contraction and severe withdrawal

In this paper we present an axiomatic characterization for brutal contractions. Then we consider the particular case of the brutal contractions that are based on a bounded ensconcement and also the class of severe withdrawals which are based on bounded epis temic entrenchment relations that are defined by means of bounded ensconcements (using the procedure proposed by Mary-Anne Williams). We present axiomatic characterizations for each one of those classes of functions and investigate the interrelation among them.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Advances on belief base dynamics

The main goal underlying the research area of belief change consists in finding appropriate ways of modelling the belief state of a rational agent and, additionally, the changes which occur in such a state when the agent receives new information. The most important model of belief change is the so-called AGM model, proposed in [AGM85]. In this model, the belief state of an agent is represented by a belief set—a deductively closed set of sentences. A change consists in adding or removing a specific sentence from a belief set to obtain a new belief set. Two of the main shortcomings pointed out to the AGM model of belief change are the use of belief sets to represent belief states and the (unrealistic) acceptance of any new piece of information. In this thesis we address both those issues. We present axiomatic characterizations for ensconcement-based contractions and for brutal contractions, two kinds of belief bases contraction operators introduced in [Wil94b] that are based on the concept of ensconcement, which is a generalization to the case of belief bases of the concept of epistemic entrenchment introduced in [Ga¨r88, GM88]. We compare the axiomatic characterizations of these operators with those of other well-known base contraction operators and study the interrelations among the former and the contraction operators based on epistemic entrenchments. We study non-prioritized base change operators, namely shielded base contractions and credibility-limited base revisions. We propose several different classes of shielded base contractions and obtain axiomatic characterizations for each one of them. Additionally we thoroughly investigate the interrelations (in the sense of inclusion) among all those classes. Afterwards we perform a similar study for credibility-limited base revisions. Finally, we study the interrelation between the different proposed classes of operators of credibility-limited base revision and of shielded contraction by means of the consistency-preserving Levi identity and the Harper identity.O objetivo principal da a´rea de revis˜ao de cren¸cas ´e encontrar modelos que permitam modelar o estado de cren¸cas de um agente racional, bem como as mudan¸cas que ocorrem nesse estado de cren¸cas quando o agente recebe novas informa¸co˜es. O modelo mais influente desta ´area ´e o chamado modelo AGM proposto em [AGM85]. Neste modelo, o estado de cren¸cas de um agente ´e representado por um conjunto de cren¸cas—conjunto de f´ormulas dedutivamente fechado. Uma mudan¸ca consiste em adicionar ou remover uma fo´rmula espec´ıfica de um conjunto de cren¸cas para obter um novo conjunto de crenc¸as. Dois dos principais problemas apontados ao modelo AGM sa˜o o uso de conjuntos de cren¸cas para representar estados de cren¸ca e a aceita¸ca˜o (irrealista) de qualquer nova informa¸ca˜o. Nesta tese abordamos ambas as quest˜oes. Apresentamos caracteriza¸co˜es axiom´aticas para contra¸c˜oes baseadas em ensconcements e para contra¸c˜oes brutais, dois tipos de operadores de contrac¸˜ao em bases de cren¸cas introduzidos em [Wil94b] e que se baseiam no conceito de ensconcement— generaliza¸ca˜o em bases de cren¸cas, do conceito de epistemic entrenchment introduzido em [Ga¨r88, GM88]. Comparamos as caracteriza¸c˜oes axiom´aticas destes operadores com as de outros operadores de contrac¸˜ao em bases bem conhecidos e estudamos as inter-rela¸co˜es entre os primeiros e os operadores de contra¸ca˜o baseados em epistemic entrenchments. Estudamos operadores de mudanc¸as de crenc¸as na˜o-priorizados em bases, nomeadamente contra¸c˜oes protegidas e revis˜oes com limite de credibilidade. Propomos v´arias classes de operadores de contra¸c˜oes protegidas e obtemos teoremas de representa¸ca˜o para cada uma dessas classes. Investigamos, igualmente, as inter-rela¸co˜es (no sentido de inclusa˜o) entre todas essas classes. Posteriormente, realizamos um estudo semelhante para reviso˜es com limite de credibilidade. Finalmente, estudamos a inter-relac¸˜ao entre as diferentes classes propostas de operadores (definidos em bases de cren¸cas) de revis˜ao com limite de credibilidade e de contra¸co˜es protegidas atrav´es da identidade de Levi conservadora-da-consistˆencia e da identidade de Harper

Residual contraction

In this paper, we propose and axiomatically characterize residual contractions, a new kind of contraction operators for belief bases. We establish that the class of partial meet contractions is a strict subclass of the class of residual contractions. We identify an extra condition that may be added to the definition of residual contractions, which is such that the class of residual contractions that satisfy it coincides with the class of partial meet contrac tions. We investigate the interrelations in the sense of (strict) inclusion among the class of residual contractions and other classes of well known contraction operators for belief bases.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Full characterization of Parikh's Relevance-Sensitive Axiom for Belief Revision

© 2019 AI Access Foundation. In this article, the epistemic-entrenchment and partial-meet characterizations of Parikh's relevance-sensitive axiom for belief revision, known as axiom (P), are provided. In short, axiom (P) states that, if a belief set K can be divided into two disjoint compartments, and the new information ' relates only to the first compartment, then the revision of K by ' should not affect the second compartment. Accordingly, we identify the subclass of epistemic-entrenchment and that of selection-function preorders, inducing AGM revision functions that satisfy axiom (P). Hence, together with the faithful-preorders characterization of (P) that has already been provided, Parikh's axiom is fully characterized in terms of all popular constructive models of Belief Revision. Since the notions of relevance and local change are inherent in almost all intellectual activity, the completion of the constructive view of (P) has a significant impact on many theoretical, as well as applied, domains of Artificial Intelligence

Belief Revision with Uncertain Inputs in the Possibilistic Setting

This paper discusses belief revision under uncertain inputs in the framework of possibility theory. Revision can be based on two possible definitions of the conditioning operation, one based on min operator which requires a purely ordinal scale only, and another based on product, for which a richer structure is needed, and which is a particular case of Dempster's rule of conditioning. Besides, revision under uncertain inputs can be understood in two different ways depending on whether the input is viewed, or not, as a constraint to enforce. Moreover, it is shown that M.A. Williams' transmutations, originally defined in the setting of Spohn's functions, can be captured in this framework, as well as Boutilier's natural revision.Comment: Appears in Proceedings of the Twelfth Conference on Uncertainty in Artificial Intelligence (UAI1996