RR-9-96

Chandrabose Aravindan.
An abductive framework for negation in disjunctive logic programming.

Keywords: Abduction, Disjunctive logic programming, Minimal model semantics.

Abstract

In this paper, we study an abductive framework for disjunctive logic programming that provides a new way to understand negation in disjunctive logic programming. We show that the defined framework captures the existing minimal model semantics based on (Extended) Generalised Closed World Assumption ((E)GCWA). This relationship between abduction and minimal model reasoning provides a methodology to develop algorithms for minimal model reasoning. To demonstrate this, we show how a theorem prover, based on restart model elimination calculus, can be modified for abductive reasoning and thus for minimal model reasoning.