Representing First-Order Causal Theories by Logic Programs

TL;DR

This paper extends the embedding of nonmonotonic causal logic into logic programming from propositional to first-order theories, enabling more expressive action language semantics.

Contribution

It introduces a novel embedding of first-order causal theories into logic programs, broadening the applicability of answer set programming.

Findings

Extended embedding to nondefinite theories

Applied to first-order causal logic

Facilitates reasoning in more expressive action languages

Abstract

Nonmonotonic causal logic, introduced by Norman McCain and Hudson Turner, became a basis for the semantics of several expressive action languages. McCain's embedding of definite propositional causal theories into logic programming paved the way to the use of answer set solvers for answering queries about actions described in such languages. In this paper we extend this embedding to nondefinite theories and to first-order causal logic.