Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!iuvax!rutgers!orstcs!mist!dambrosi
From: dambrosi@mist.cs.orst.edu (Bruce D'Ambrosio)
Newsgroups: comp.ai
Subject: Re:  MBR Workshop Query
Message-ID: <9552@orstcs.CS.ORST.EDU>
Date: 22 Mar 89 01:38:11 GMT
References: <8903210143.AA29245@atc.boeing.com>
Sender: usenet@orstcs.CS.ORST.EDU
Reply-To: dambrosi@cs.orst.edu (Bruce D'Ambrosio)
Organization: Oregon State University - CS - Corvallis, Oregon
Lines: 21

I think the problem pointed to by Pat Hayes is more fundamental than
your response might indicate.  The key question is: "what is a model?"
Seems like just about any symbolic (and non-symbolic?) representation
intended to correspond to some aspect of what's "out there" is a model.

Notions like "structure" and "function" help pin things down somewhat,
but unfortunately are also very vague and all encompassing when examined
closely.  

My thesis was about fuzzy extensions to QP theory.  I told people I was
working in model-based reasoning.  I now work on resource-bounded 
construction and evaluation of decision-bases.  I still say I am working
in model-based reasoning.

This is not to say I object to the title of the workshop, I think I know
what you mean, but it might be an interesting exercise in the workshop
to attempt to formulate a definition of the field that captures the 
intuition.  It might be difficult

Bruce D'Ambrosio
dambrosi@cs.orst.edu