Defeasible logic programming: DeLP-servers, contextual queries, and explanations for answers

Abstract

Argumentation represents a way of reasoning over a knowledge base containing possibly incomplete and/or inconsistent information, to obtain useful conclusions. As a reasoning mechanism, the way an argumentation reasoning engine reaches these conclusions resembles the cognitive process that humans follow to analyse their beliefs; thus, unlike other computationally reasoning systems, argumentation offers an intellectually friendly alternative to other defeasible reasoning systems. Logic Programming is a computational paradigm that has produced computationally attractive systems with remarkable success in many applications. Merging ideas from both areas, Defeasible Logic Programming offers a computational reasoning system that uses an argumentation engine to obtain answers from a knowledge base represented using a logic programming language extended with defeasible rules. This combination of ideas brings about a computationally effective system together with a human-like reasoning model facilitating its use in applications.