Conditional logic and the Principle of Entropy

✍ Scribed by Wilhelm Rödder

• Publisher: Elsevier Science
• Year: 2000
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 175 KB
• Volume: 117
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0004-3702
• DOI: 10.1016/s0004-3702(99)00105-8

✦ Synopsis

The conditional three-valued logic of Calabrese is applied to the language L * of conditionals on propositional variables with finite domain. The conditionals in L * serve as a means for the construction and manipulation of probability distributions respecting the Principle of Maximum Entropy and of Minimum Relative Entropy. This principle allows a sound inference even in the presence of uncertain evidence. The inference is directed, it respects a probabilistic version of Modus Ponens-not of Modus Tollens-, it permits transitive chaining and supports a cautious monotony. Conjunctive, conditional and material deduction are manageable in this probabilistic logic, too. The concept is not merely theoretical, but enables large-scale applications in the expert system-shell SPIRIT.