Unifying logical and probabilistic reasoning

Abstract

Most formal techniques of automated reasoning are either rooted in logic or in probability theory. These areas have a long tradition in science, particularly among philosophers and mathematicians. More recently, computer scientists have discovered logic and probability theory to be the two key techniques for building intelligent systems which rely on reasoning as a central component. Despite numerous attempts to link logical and probabilistic reasoning, a satisfiable unified theory of reasoning is still missing. This paper analyses the connection between logical and probabilistic reasoning, it discusses their respective similarities and differences, and proposes a new unified theory of reasoning in which both logic and probability theory are contained as special cases.