Default reasoning is concerned with making inferences in cases where the information at hand is incomplete. In such cases it is necessary to make plausible assumptions, which in default reasoning are based on default rules. This paper gives an introduction to the field. It discusses in depth one particular approach, default logic, including properties, semantics and computational models. It also gives an overview of other ideas and approaches.
Abstract: Default reasoning is concerned with making inferences in cases where the information at hand is incomplete. In such cases it is necessary to make plausible assumptions, which in default reasoning are based on default rules. This paper gives an introduction to the field. It discusses in depth one particular approach, default logic, including properties, semantics and computational models. It also gives an overview of other ideas and approaches.