The netlike inference process and stability analysis

Abstract

In this article, an inference process is defined as a series of events in which the truth values flow from propositions along certain inference channels. the concepts of netlike inference process and solution searching process are then described. the notion of excitedness is defined as a measure of the activeness of thinking. In the context of an inference process, excitedness describes the truth of the proposition or the belief in the proposition. While in a solution searching process, excitedness describes the ability and/or desire to solve the problem. By introducing simple flows and their network graphs, the process of excitedness flows on the network is described be a set of differential equations with steady state solutions and stability analysis performed by applying Markov process theory. By introducing the concepts of complex flows and multi-branch graphs, the process of excitedness flows on the graph is also described by a set of differential equations with steady state solutions and stability analysis performed similar to Prigogine's theory of dissipative structures.1 Finally, the idea of using computers in netlike inference is proposed.