A partial taxonomy of knowledge about actions
Eugene Charniak · International Joint Conference on Artificial Intelligence · 1975
An incomplete taxonomy is proposed for the knowledge of actions a computer must have if it is to understand stories about people performing these actions. The classification is along two dimensions, Force - why a person should follow the rule, and Form - what the rule looks like. Four kinds of force are distinguished, Strict, Social, Suggested,and Regulatory, while six forms are distinguished, Subactions, Substates, Side Conditions, Methods, Time Orderings, and Do-Whiles. For the most part it seems that any force type may combine with any form type in producing a rule. One example, how to use an umbrella, is examined in detail although facts about many human activities, from playing bridge to washing one's hair, are used as examples.