Short Term Applications

We see the use of formalized contexts as one of the essential tools for reaching human level intelligence by logic based methods. However, we see formalized contexts as having shorter term applications.

• Guha has put contexts into Cyc, largely in the form of microtheories. The $above-theory$ example is a microtheory. See [Guha, 1991] for some of the details.

• Suppose the Air Force and General Electric Co. each have databases that include prices of jet engines and associated equipment. The items overlap in that jet engines that General Electric sells to the Air Force are included. Suppose further that the databases are not entirely compatible because the prices are based on different assumptions about spare parts and warranty conditions. Now suppose that the databases are to be used together by a program that must check whether the Air Force database is up-to-date on General Electric prices.

  Our idea is that corresponding to each database is a context, e.g. context-GE-engine-prices and context-AF-engine-prices. The program, however, must work with a context we may call context-GE-AF-engine-prices. Its language allows statements with auxiliary information about what is included in the price of an item. Suitable lifting rules allow translating the sentences of the two other databases into this more comprehensive context.