The assertion that knowledge representation (KR) is a recent phenomenon connected to the advent of computing technology is false. While KR as a formalised field in artificial intelligence (AI) gained prominence with computing advances in the mid-20th century, the core principles of representing knowledge have existed centuries ago. As Weststeijn (2011) discussed, ancient civilisations have represented knowledge in symbols and visual formats such as hieroglyphics, and pictograms. The efforts of these civilisations to represent knowledge have significantly impacted the development of modern symbolic logic and computer languages.
More examples include the work of philosophers like Aristotle. They developed early frameworks for reasoning, such as syllogisms (Sowa, 1999). These are precursors to modern KR. Additionally, Ramon Liull’s combinatorial logic in the 13th century sought to represent and manipulate knowledge systematically (Sales, 1997). These philosophical and theoretical developments in KR predate modern computing.
Reasoning bridges the gap between the knowledge represented and what is believed (Brachman & Levesque, 2004). Reasoning is intrinsically related to KR because KR provides the structure upon which reasoning processes operate. Without reasoning, KR would be merely a repository of information without the ability to infer new insights or make decisions. Reasoning allows systems to derive conclusions, solve problems, and make predictions based on the represented knowledge.
However, KR can still be useful without reasoning in contexts, such as data storage or information retrieval (OpenAI, 2024). Nevertheless, reasoning makes KR more useful by enabling intelligent decision-making.
References
Brachman, R. and Levesque, H. (2004) ‘Knowledge Representation and Reasoning’, in. United States: Elsevier Science & Technology.
OpenAI (2024). ChatGPT [online]. Available at: https://chat.openai.com/ (Accessed: 25 November 2024).
Sales, T. (05 1997) ‘Llull as Computer Scientist or Why Llull Was One of Us’, in, pp. 15–21.
Sowa, J. F. (1999) Knowledge representation: logical, philosophical and computational foundations. USA: Brooks/Cole Publishing Co.
Weststeijn, T. (2011) From hieroglyphs to universal characters: Pictography in the early modern Netherlands. Nederlands Kunsthistorisch Jaarboek 61(1): 238-281. DOI: 10.1163/22145966-90000774