On Solving the Qualification Problem

Extending Theories of Action: Formal Theory and Practical Applications

Volume

Papers from the 1995 AAAI Spring Symposium

Contents

The qualification problem may be the most fundamental difficulty in formalizing common sense knowledge in general, and in formalizing knowledge about action in particular. This position paper argues that the qualification problemis intrinsicallycomputational as opposed to representational. This does not imply that explicit, formal, knowledge has no role in the production of commonsensical behaviour, but it does imply that the qualification problem cannot solved using currently available representation formalisms. For a future representation formalism to help in solving qualification problem, itwill be vital for it to possess a context mechanism.