Knowledge compilation for belief change

Abstract

Techniques for knowledge compilation like prime implicates and binary decision diagrams (BDDs) are effective methods for improving the practical efficiency of reasoning tasks. In this paper we provide a construction for a belief contraction operator using prime implicates. We also briefly indicate how this technique can be used for belief expansion, belief revision and also iterated belief change. This simple yet novel technique has two significant features: (a) the contraction operator constructed satisfies all the AGM postulates for belief contraction; (b) when compilation has been effected only syntactic manipulation is required in order to contract the reasoner's belief state. © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2006.