From: hoyle@beaufort.sfu.ca (Michelle Hoyle)
Subject: Qualitative Physics Taking Issue
Summary: Prolegomena to Any Future Qualitative Physics
Keywords: Qualitative Physics, AI, CI, Issue 8(2)
Organization: Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, B.C., Canada
Date: Tue, 6 Oct 1992 07:41:06 GMT

Computational Intelligence
Issue 8(2)
Taking Issue/Forum: Prolegomena to Any Future Qualitative Physics
Editor: Daniel S. Weld, University of Washington

This special issue on the future of qualitative physics (QP) is
exciting reading, filled with controversy.  The issue starts with
a position paper by Elisha Sacks and Jon Doyle which strongly
criticizes aspects of the field; subsequent responses take a dizzying
array of positions, many praising qualitative physics.  

This issue of Computational Intelligence focuses on Sacks and Doyle's 
(S&D) postion paper "Prolegomena to Any Future Qualitative Physics",
which presents a strong criticism of some aspects of existing QP
research.  This "Prolegomena" argues that elements of standard
qualitative physics representations (e.g., arbitrary monotonic
functions and quantity spaces) are limited in essential ways that 
cripple their utility for asymptotic analysis of complex, dynamical
systems.

The opinions of the 24 respondents, all delivered emphaptically,
ranged from wholehearted agreement to indignation and outrage.  And,
as might be expected in any heated debate about the accomplishments 
and objectives of a field, many of the papers in this issue reflect
misunderstandings, either about the intended scope of S&D's criticisms
or the research motivations of the QP researchers.  Yet, surprisingly,
this confusion makes the issue more interesting!  Sacks and Doyle make
important observations about the analytic power of various schemes for
analyzing complex dynamical systems, and these lessons (while
familiar to many researchers) deserve careful attention.  Similarly,
while none of the respondents denied Sacks and Doyle's mathematical
claims, many made insightful suggestions about potential avenues for
future research.  In their concluding "Epilegomenon", S&D express
sorrow at the misunderstanding enegendered by the debate, and attempt 
to phrase their points more clearly; in many ways, this conclusion
is the best way to start the issue.

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Contents:

Elisha P. Sacks, & Jon Doyle
  Prelogomena to Any Future Qualitative Physics

Brian C. Williams, Oliver Raiman, Daniel G. Bobrow, Mark Shirley,
Brian Falkenhainer, & Johan de Kleer
  Narrow Views, Old Tasks, and New Beginnings

B. Chandrasekaran
  QP is More than SPQR and Dynamical Systems Theory: Response to
  Sacks and Doyle

Richard Zippel
  Comments on Prolegomena to Any Future Qualitative Physics

Peter Cheeseman
  From Qualitative to Quantitative Physics

Kenneth Yip, & Drew McDermott
  Response to Prolegomena to Any Future Qualitative Physics

Kenneth D. Forbus
  The Physics of Future Past: A Response to Sacks and Doyle

Matthew L. Ginsberg
  Prolegomena to Any Future Prolegomena

Pat Hayes
  Straw Men: A Response to Sacks and Doyle

Peter Struss
  The Qualitative Reasoning Hypothesis: A Response to Sacks and Doyle's
  Prolegomena

Leo Joscowicz
  On Shooting Flies with Cannonballs and Elephants with Rubber Bands

David Steier
  A Strategy for Research Model Formulation

Michael P. Wellman
  Whither Qualitative Reasoning?: A Response to Sacks and Doyle

Yuma Iwasaki
  Qualitative Physics Beyond Automated Mathematics

Mark A. Kramer
  Reply to Sacks and Doyle's, Prolegomena to Any Future Qualitative Physics

Gregory Olsen, Subbarao Kambhampati, & Mark Cutkowsky
  Real Physics for Real Engineers: Response to Prolegomena to Any
  Future Qualitative Physics

Benjamin Kuipers, & James Crawford
  Guarenteed Coverage Versus Intelligent Sampling: A Reply to Sacks and Doyle

Glenn A. Kramer
  Comments on Prolegomena by Sacks and Doyle

Allen C. Ward
  Three Radical Quibbles with the Prolegomena...

Roy Leitch
  Whose Expertise is it Anyway? 

Jayant R. Kalagnanam, & Herbert A. Simon
  Directions for Qualitative Reasoning

Earnest Davis
  Response to Prolegomena to Any Future Qualitative Physics by Elisha Sacks
  and Jon Doyle

Boi Faltings
  Mechanical Engineering is More than Differential Equations

Michael L. Mavrovouniotis
  Some Features of Expert Reasoning in Qualitative Physics

Elisha Sacks, and Jon Doyle
  Epilegomenon 

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Author and Submission Information:

Instructions for authors are available upon written or e-mail request, or
you can anonymously FTP them from Cs.Sfu.Ca where they are stored in the
CI directory as author.txt.

Submissions can be mailed to:
  Michelle A. Hoyle
  Computational Intelligence
  Centre for Systems Science
  Simon Fraser University
  Burnaby, BC
  CANADA  V5A 1S6

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Correspondence for the editorial office can be sent to Michelle A.
Hoyle (Ci@Cs.sfu.ca) at the Centre for Systems Science.

Michelle