Handbook of Logic in Artificial Intelligence and Logic Programming. Volume 2, Deduction Methodologies

Logic is now widely recognized to be one of the foundational disciplines of computing and has found applications in virtually all aspects of the subject, from software engineering and hardware to programming languages and artificial intelligence. There is a growing need for an in-depth survey of the applications of logic in Al and computer science. The Handbook of Logic in Articial Intelligence and Logic Programming and its companion, the Handbook of Logic in Computer Science, have been created in response to this need. We see the creation of the Handbook as a combination of authoritative exposition, comprehensive survey, and fundamental research exploring the underlying themes in the various areas. The intended audience is graduate students and researchers in the areas of A1 and logic, as well as other people interested in the subject. We assume as background some mathematical sophistication. Much of the material will be of interest to logicians and mathematicians. The tables of contents of the volumes were finalized after extensive discussions between handbook authors and second readers. The first volumes present the logical foundations and deduction methodologies extensively used in AI. Volumes 3 and 4 cover reasoning, and Volume 5 details logic programming. The chapters, which in many cases are of monograph length and scope, emphasize possible unifying themes. They are written by internationally renowned researchers in the respective areas. The chapters are co-ordinated and their contents have been reviewed in joint meetings.