Goals in a Formal Theory of Commonsense Psychology

Hobbs and Gordon

commonsense reasoning psychology ontology planning goals beliefs

@inproceedings{hobbs:fois-2010,
  title={Goals in a Formal Theory of Commonsense Psychology},
  author={Jerry R. Hobbs and Andrew Gordon},
  booktitle={Formal Ontology in Information Systems},
  pages={59--72}
  year={2010},
  publisher={{IOS} Press}
}

Tries to characterize commonsense reasoning about goals, intentions, and planning

• What people think they're doing, as opposed to what they may actually be doing

Most concepts involved cannot be defined, but can be well characterized

Necessary background ontologies: Theories of sets, eventualities, time, composite entities, change of state, causality

Defines "trying," "succeeding," and "failing" at some plan or action

Talks about different kinds of mutual belief and action

• Three types of helping: Inadvertent, Intentional, Collaborative

Roots everything in a notion of "thriving," which all agents are trying to do all the time

Higher, more abstract a goal is, the more important it is