Changes

=====1.2.3.1.  Inquiry Driven Systems=====

=====1.2.3.1.  Inquiry Driven Systems=====

One goal of this work is to develop a formalism adequate to the description of knowledge-oriented inquiry-driven systems in logical and differential terms, to be able to write down and run as simulations qualitative differential equations that describe individual cases of systems with knowledge-directed behavior, systems which exhibit a progress toward a goal of knowledge.  A knowledge-oriented system is one which maintains a knowledge base which figures into its behavior in a dual role, both as a guide to action and as the object of a system goal to increase the measure of its usefulness.  An inquiry-driven system is one that develops its knowledge base in response to the differences existing between three aspects of state that may be projected or generated from its total state, components which might be called:  expectations, observations, and intentions.

One goal of this work is to develop a formalism adequate to the description of  

knowledge-oriented inquiry-driven systems in logical and differential terms, to  

be able to write down and run as simulations qualitative differential equations  

that describe individual cases of systems with knowledge-directed behavior,  

systems which exhibit a progress toward a goal of knowledge.  A  

knowledge-oriented system is one which maintains a knowledge base which figures  

into its behavior in a dual role, both as a guide to action and as the object of  

a system goal to increase the measure of its usefulness.  An inquiry-driven  

system is one that develops its knowledge base in response to the differences  

existing between three aspects of state that may be projected or generated from  

its total state, components which might be called:  expectations, observations,  

and intentions.

It is not clear at this point if there can be interesting classes of  

It is not clear at this point if there can be interesting classes of inquiry-driven systems which are purely deterministic, but a recognition of what such a system would be like might help to clarify the limits of the notion.  In some sense a deterministic inquiry-driven system would fulfill a behaviorist dream.  It would correspond to a scientific agent whose every action is predictable, even to the phenomena it will encounter, hypotheses it will entertain, and experiments it will perform as a consequence.  If it is accepted that behaviorist proposals are tantamount to a restriction of methodology to the level of finite state description, then less elaborate characterizations of such systems are always available.  Proper hypotheses, which are not just summaries of finite past experience but can refer to an infinite set of projected examples, are commonly associated with complexities in behavior that proceed from the essentially context-free level on up.

inquiry-driven systems which are purely deterministic, but a recognition of what  

such a system would be like might help to clarify the limits of the notion.  In  

some sense a deterministic inquiry-driven system would fulfill a behaviorist  

dream.  It would correspond to a scientific agent whose every action is  

predictable, even to the phenomena it will encounter, hypotheses it will  

entertain, and experiments it will perform as a consequence.  If it is accepted  

that behaviorist proposals are tantamount to a restriction of methodology to the  

level of finite state description, then less elaborate characterizations of such  

systems are always available.  Proper hypotheses, which are not just summaries  

of finite past experience but can refer to an infinite set of projected  

examples, are commonly associated with complexities in behavior that proceed  

from the essentially context-free level on up.

One important use of a system's current knowledge base is to project  

One important use of a system's current knowledge base is to project expectations of what is likely to be actualized in its experience, an image of what state it envisions probable.  Another use of a system's personal knowledge base is to preserve intentions during the execution of series of actions, to keep a record of a current goal, a picture of what it would like to find actualized in its experience, an image of what state it envisions desirable.  From these uses of images two kinds of differences crop up in the process of inquiry.

expectations of what is likely to be actualized in its experience, an image of  

what state it envisions probable.  Another use of a system's personal knowledge  

base is to preserve intentions during the execution of series of actions, to  

keep a record of a current goal, a picture of what it would like to find  

actualized in its experience, an image of what state it envisions desirable.   

From these uses of images two kinds of differences crop up in the process of  

inquiry.

=====1.2.3.2.  Surprises to Explain=====

=====1.2.3.2.  Surprises to Explain=====