## Context Vocabulary

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Last Update: 4/5/02
Copyright© 1996-2002. All rights reserved. See Terms of Usage.

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#$Microtheory contexts **COMMENT NOT REVIEWED** **GAFs NOT REVIEWED**

> A specialization of #$AbstractInformationalThing. Each instance of #$Microtheory is an abstract informational thing that represents a context in Cyc. Each microtheory (or 'mt') serves to group a set of assertions together that share some common assumptions; the assertions in an mt constitute the content of that mt. Note that each assertion in the Cyc knowledge base must be explicitly stated to be true in at least one microtheory. Assertions stated to be true in one mt will also be true (by inference) in more specialized mts that depend on the content of that mt. For example, if something is true in the #$HumanSocialLifeMt (q.v.), then it should by default be true in the more specialized #$UnitedStatesSocialLifeMt (q.v.). Specialized microtheories are related to the more general microtheories on which they depend by the predicate #$genlMt (q.v.). Note that every query is made in some mt, and the answer one gets to a query depends on the mt in which it is asked, since the only assertions which can be used to answer a query in an mt are those explicitly stated to be true in that mt, or in some more general mt. See also the predicate #$ist, which is used to relate an assertion to the microtheories in which it is true.
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> direct instance of: #$MicrotheoryType
> direct specialization of: #$AbstractInformationalThing
> direct generalization of: #$Language-SpecificMicrotheory #$PlanBackgroundContext #$VocabularyMicrotheory #$TheoryMicrotheory #$DeclarativeContext #$DataMicrotheory #$PlanningDomainMicrotheory #$HypotheticalContext #$SupposedToBeMicrotheory #$BroadMicrotheory #$CounterfactualContext #$ProblemSolvingCntxt #$GeneralMicrotheory #$PropositionalInformationThing #$LexicalMicrotheory #$FictionalContext

#$MicrotheoryType types of microtheory

> A collection of collections. Each instance of #$MicrotheoryType is a specialization of #$Microtheory. Instances of #$MicrotheoryType include the collections #$HypotheticalContext and #$GeneralMicrotheory.
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> direct instance of: #$SecondOrderCollection
> direct specialization of: #$FirstOrderCollection

#$ist ist **COMMENT NOT REVIEWED** **GAFs NOT REVIEWED**

> This predicate relates a microtheory to any sentence that is true in it. (#$ist MT SENT) means that the CycL sentence SENT (or, if you prefer, the proposition SENT expresses) is true in the microtheory MT. Note that SENT need not actually be _asserted_ in MT; MT might for example inherit SENT from a more general microtheory. (Cf. #$ist-Asserted.)
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> direct instance of: #$MicrotheoryDesignatingPredicate #$BinaryPredicate #$MicrotheoryPredicate

#$genlMt genl mt

> This predicate relates a more specific microtheory to a more general one, where the former constitutes a specialization with respect to the latter. More precisely: (#$genlMt SPEC-MT GENL-MT) means that any assertion that is true in GENL-MT is also true in SPEC-MT. Thus a query posed in SPEC-MT has access to all of the assertions asserted in GENL-MT. (The consequences of this are far-reaching since #$genlMt is transitive.) One particular microtheory, the #$BaseKB, is in the unique position of being a generalization (via #$genlMt) of every microtheory. (Note that, for technical reasons, all #$genlMt assertions should be made in the #$BaseKB.)
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> direct instance of: #$OpenCycDefinitionalPredicate #$RuleMacroPredicate #$DefaultMonotonicPredicate #$ReflexiveBinaryPredicate #$TransitiveBinaryPredicate #$MicrotheoryPredicate
> direct specialization of: #$generalizations

#$domainAssumptions domain assumptions **COMMENT NOT REVIEWED** **GAFs NOT REVIEWED**

> (#$domainAssumptions M P) means that the microtheory M has the proposition P as a domain assumption. See the comment for #$Microtheory for a detailed explanation of what the `assumptions' of a mt are, as opposed to its `content'. In brief, it means that all the `content' assertions of M assume that P is true. Another way of thinking of this is that one is `in' context M only if all its domain assumptions are true. Another way of thinking of this is that the various `content' assertions of M only apply to objects that satisfy all its #$domainAssumptions. Yes, that means that the `domain of quantifiers' (#$forAll and #$thereExists) is limited to the universe of such objects. So if it's true in M that (#$forAll ?x Q), and if we lift this axiom to another theory M2 that does not make the domain assumption P, then the axiom becomes (#$forAll ?x (#$implies P Q)). Note: Actually, what becomes true in M2 is slightly more complicated, namely: (#$forAll ?x (#$implies (#$and P1 P2 P3...) Q)), where P1, P2, P3,... are all the domain assumptions of M which are not implied by the domain assumptions of M2. Note: Domain assumption propositions --- in this case P --- must have a special format: P must contain the free variable ?U, and this ?U represents `some term which is talked about in M'. The idea is that one could have a domain assumption that said `if ?U is a person, ?U must have been born after 1950', or which said `if ?U is the performer of an event, then ?U is a person' etc. For example: (#$implies (#$isa ?U #$StateOfMatterChangeEvent) (#$isa ?U #$CreationOrDestructionEvent) is one of the #$domainAssumptions of the #$NaiveStateChangeMt context. It says that, in that context, physical state changes of an object (e.g., melting or boiling) are viewed as creations and destructions, in which elements of #$Entity come into or go out of existence, rather than viewing them as events which preserve entityhood. See also #$mtAdditionConstraint.
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> direct instance of: #$MicrotheoryPredicate #$BinaryPredicate

#$GeneralMicrotheory general microtheory **COMMENT NOT REVIEWED** **GAFs NOT REVIEWED**

> The collection consisting of every #$Microtheory intended to contain general axioms useful for multiple purposes. This excludes microtheories which deal with specific situations, such as instances of #$ProblemSolvingCntxt, microtheories that represent the information content of one specific #$InformationBearingObject such as the US Declaration of Independence, or those which are purely lexical microtheories. Examples of this collection are #$HumanSocialLifeMt, #$BuyingMt, and #$NaiveAnimalsMt. Negative examples include #$GeneralLexiconMt (purely lexical) and #$PeopleDataMt (no general axioms).
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> direct instance of: #$MicrotheoryType #$ObjectType
> direct specialization of: #$DeclarativeContext

#$BroadMicrotheory broad microtheory **COMMENT NOT REVIEWED** **GAFs NOT REVIEWED**

> The collection of those microtheories that contain so many assertions that they are not useful for `relevance' focusing during inference. (A #$BroadMicrotheory is not used internally in Cyc's indexing scheme during inference.) Examples: #$BaseKB and #$EnglishMt.
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> direct instance of: #$MicrotheoryType
> direct specialization of: #$Microtheory

#$ProblemSolvingCntxt psc (context) **COMMENT NOT REVIEWED** **GAFs NOT REVIEWED**

> The collection of microtheories that are used in applications as a means to reason about particular situations. Every original query takes place in some #$ProblemSolvingCntxt (as opposed to a #$GeneralMicrotheory) which has access --- via the #$genlMt relation --- to other relevant microtheories, all the way up to the most general one, the #$BaseKB. A #$ProblemSolvingCntxt is usually created temporarily for the problem at hand, and is discarded after the problem is dealt with (unlike a #$GeneralMicrotheory, which is created for lasting use).
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> direct instance of: #$MicrotheoryType #$ObjectType
> direct specialization of: #$Microtheory

#$BaseKB Base KB knowledge **COMMENT NOT REVIEWED** **GAFs NOT REVIEWED**

> #$BaseKB is the most general #$Microtheory currently in use. Assertions in this context are `accessible' from any other #$Microtheory via the #$genlMt relation. In the partial order of microtheories, all microtheories have access to #$BaseKB. An assertion which is true here will by default be true in every context. The `content' of #$BaseKB consists of very general assertions which are expected to be usable in most or all applications of Cyc, as well as Cyc's most fundamental assertions that it uses in inference, and all completely universal, timeless truths.
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> direct instance of: #$BroadMicrotheory #$GeneralMicrotheory #$Individual

#$CounterfactualContext counterfactual contexts **COMMENT NOT REVIEWED** **GAFs NOT REVIEWED**

> The collection of microtheories that are each assumed to include at least one counterfactual assertion: an assertion which is believed to be untrue in the real world. It may be, however, that there is no explicit counterfactual assertion in a given #$CounterfactualContext. In particular, it is not required that there be any explicit contradiction of assertions in the #$genlMts of the #$CounterfactualContext. But intuitively speaking, most adults would be reticent about trusting too strongly in a propositon whose only justification was in a #$CounterfactualContext. All works of fiction relate events that transpire in counterfactual contexts. Examples: #$WorldMythologyMt, #$PaddingtonBearStoriesMt, #$ChristmasMythologyMt.
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> direct instance of: #$ObjectType #$MicrotheoryType
> direct specialization of: #$Microtheory
> direct generalization of: #$FictionalContext

#$FictionalContext fictional contexts **COMMENT NOT REVIEWED** **GAFs NOT REVIEWED**

> The collection of #$CounterfactualContexts which are (1) created intentionally, not by error or chance or gradual evolution and accretion in a culture, and (2) typically are the information content of some #$InformationBearingThing, and (3) are not expected (by their creator) to be believed as factual, nor do their creators believe them to be factual. In addition to asserting fictional propositions about existing things, a #$FictionalContext may include terms for nonexistent things. Examples: #$LordOfTheRings, #$AdventuresOfHuckleberryFinn.
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> direct instance of: #$MicrotheoryType
> direct specialization of: #$CounterfactualContext

#$SupposedToBeMicrotheory supposed to be microtheory **COMMENT NOT REVIEWED** **GAFs NOT REVIEWED**

> The collection of microtheories that describe how things are 'supposed to be' according to some agent or agents. This technique can be used to represent things like the policies of a company, the laws of a country, the tenets of a religion, the rules of proper conduct for employees of a particular corporation, etc. The assertions in a #$SupposedToBeMicrotheory may or may not describe the world as it actually is. Examples: #$BasicWesternLegalConceptsMt, #$SportsRulesOf-BoxingSportsEvent, #$CycStaffCalendar, and #$OfficeCodeOfConductMt.
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> direct instance of: #$MicrotheoryType
> direct specialization of: #$Microtheory
> direct generalization of: #$Proposal #$Agreement #$Obligation

#$TextMicrotheory text microtheory **COMMENT NOT REVIEWED** **GAFs NOT REVIEWED**

> The collection of Microtheories each of which contains assertions that convey the information content of a particular text. The propositional content of a text is a #$PropositionalInformationThing, and it forms a #$TextMicrotheory.
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> direct instance of: #$ExistingObjectType
> direct specialization of: #$PropositionalInformationThing

#$HypotheticalContext hypothetical context **COMMENT NOT REVIEWED** **GAFs NOT REVIEWED**

> The collection of microtheories that consist of assertions which are posited for the purpose of exploring their consequences, without alleging the actual truth of the assertions. A #$HypotheticalContext may be used to analyze hypothetical outcomes of actions, or to examine the hypothetical consequences of assuming some theory to be true. Sometimes the various alternatives in a decision may be asserted, each in their own #$HypotheticalContext, so their ramifications may be generated and evaluated.
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> direct instance of: #$ObjectType #$MicrotheoryType
> direct specialization of: #$Microtheory

#$PerspectiveMicrotheory perspective microtheory **COMMENT NOT REVIEWED** **GAFs NOT REVIEWED**

> The collection of Microtheories that each represent the propositional beliefs of a particular perspective. A #$PerspectiveMicrotheory is the view of facts generally taken by someone or something in a particular role or type of role. The propositions in a #$PerspectiveMicrotheory are true from the perspective of the thing in that role. Examples include: #$AudiencePerspectiveMt, #$WorkerPerspectiveMt, #$RecipientOfServicePerspectiveMt, #$ProviderOfServicePerspectiveMt, #$PassengerPerspectiveMt, #$DriverPerspectiveMt, etc.
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> direct instance of: #$ObjectType #$MicrotheoryType
> direct specialization of: #$Microtheory

#$NeedMicrotheory needs **COMMENT NOT REVIEWED** **GAFs NOT REVIEWED**

> The collection of Microtheories each containing those propositions that describe what some #$Agent needs to be true. This may be distinct from what the #$Agent wants to be true, and depends on some additional assessment of the #$Agent's need by someone else. It may include physical, financial or formal legal `needs' of the #$Agent.
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> direct instance of: #$MicrotheoryType #$ObjectType
> direct specialization of: #$Microtheory
> direct generalization of: #$Obligation

#$Expectation expectations **COMMENT NOT REVIEWED** **GAFs NOT REVIEWED**

> The collection of microtheories whose propositions represent what some #$Agent (or #$Group of #$Agents) believes will be true at some future time.
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> direct instance of: #$MicrotheoryType #$ObjectType
> direct specialization of: #$Microtheory

#$Obligation obligations **COMMENT NOT REVIEWED** **GAFs NOT REVIEWED**

> A collection of microtheories; a subcollection of #$SupposedToBeMicrotheory. Each instance of the collection #$Obligation is a microtheory which contains assertions describing what some agent (the #$obligatedAgent) is obliged to do, or make true, for one or more other agents, possibly including society in general. An obligation is the most general case of some agent owing something to another. Obligations may be undertaken in conjunction with various kinds of #$Agreements. Unlike an agreement, however, an obligation need not have a second known party (though some do). An obligation can exist and be understood without identifying another particular agent as the `holder' of the obligation -- and that may be true, even if the beneficiary (#$obligationOwedTo) can be identified. For example, assuming that parents have an obligation to care for their children, it is not clear with whom a parent has `agreed' to take care of his or her child. Some common ways to incur an obligation are through social transactions (e.g., family duties, friendship, favors) or through financial transactions (e.g., a #$PaymentObligation). In addition, obligations may be imposed on those who are subject to one or more instances of #$CodeOfConduct, e.g., #$LegalCode-ModernUnitedStates, #$SportsRulesOf-BoxingSportsEvent, #$OfficeCodeOfConductMt.
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> direct instance of: #$ExistingObjectType
> direct specialization of: #$SupposedToBeMicrotheory #$IntangibleExistingThing
> direct generalization of: #$WorkAgreement #$CodeOfConduct

#$Estimate estimations (contexts) **COMMENT NOT REVIEWED** **GAFs NOT REVIEWED**

> The collection of microtheories containing propositions that represent beliefs by some #$Agent which are the result of inexact judgmental reasoning. For example, IBM's estimate on January 1, 1992, of fourth quarter earnings for 1991. This concept encompasses the common meaning of `estimate' and also `guess'. This contrasts with beliefs which are derived primarily from rigorous or reliable reasoning, direct observation, or consultation of authoritative sources. This also contrasts with intentional lies and works of fiction, which are not #$Estimates.
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> direct instance of: #$ObjectType #$MicrotheoryType
> direct specialization of: #$Microtheory

#$Story stories **COMMENT NOT REVIEWED** **GAFs NOT REVIEWED**

> The collection of microtheories each of which contains the assertional content of a story -- a #$Narrative describing a particular sequence of events which occur to one or more characters in the story. The story is at least partially fictional as opposed to true stories .
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> direct instance of: #$ObjectType
> direct specialization of: #$Narrative

#$BeliefSystemMicrotheory belief system microtheory **COMMENT NOT REVIEWED** **GAFs NOT REVIEWED**

> The collection of microtheories each of which contains the assertional content of the beliefs of some religion, creed, cult, social group, school of thought, political party, or other group that has shared beliefs or doctrines. Example: #$ChristianityMt.
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> direct instance of: #$MicrotheoryType
> direct specialization of: #$SupposedToBeMicrotheory

Copyright© 1996-2002. All rights reserved. See Terms of Usage.