Abstracts
O. Pacheco and F.
Santos, "Delegation ia a Role-based Organization". In Proc. The
Seventh International Workshop on Deontic Logic in Computer Science (DEON'04), A. Lomuscio e D. Nute (eds), Springer LNAI 3065,
209-227, 2004
Abstract: In an organizational context the norms that apply to an agent depend on the roles he holds in the organization. The deontic characterization of structural roles is defined when the organization is created. But an organization is not a static entity. Among the dynamic phenomena that occur in an organization there are interactions between agents consisting in a transference of obligation and permissions from an agent to another. These kind of interactions are called delegation. In this paper we analyse different ways in witch delegation occurs in an organizational context. We argue that the concept of “agent in a role” is relevant to understand delegation. A deontic and action modal logic is used to specify this concept. [pdf file]
F. Santos and O.
Pacheco, "Specifying and Reasoning with Institutional Agents". In
Proc. The 9th International Conference on Artificial Intelligence and Law
(ICAIL 2003),
Abstract: This paper proposes a logic-oriented framework for institutional agents specification and analysis. Within this framework institutional agents are seen as artificial agents that aggregate a set of (real) agents, being capable to act (by means of real agents’ actions) and to whom deontic qualifications may be associated. In order to analyse how institutional agents interact with the external world, the following aspects are characterised: how the obligations flow from the institutional agent to the real agents that support him, and how the actions of the latter count as actions of the former. The fundamental concept supporting these aspects is the concept of role. Institutional agents are specified and analysed by means of a first-order role based deontic/action modal logic. The analysis is automated by means of a tableaux theorem proving method extended with additional rules to deal with the proposed classical action and deontic modalities. [pdf file]
F. Santos, "A
Modal Logic Framework for Organization Analysis and Design". In Proc.
Sixth International Workshop on Deontic Logic in Computer Science (DEON'02), J. Horty and A.I.J. Jones (eds), Imperial
College, 279-297, 2002
Abstract: This paper proposes a logic-oriented framework for organisation specification, analysis and design. Within this framework organizations are seen as a society of agents with responsibilities and capabilities, and that interact with each other according to some form of “institutionalised power relations”. Organisations are analysed according to the properties of its agents’ interactions, characterised by means of modal action and deontic logics of the type developed in the Philosophy area. Although rather simple, the proposed framework supports some interesting aspects of the analyses of organizations, with potential applications in the scope of organisational design, e.g. analysis of task distribution and analysis of attribution of responsibilities. This later analysis is based on Reiter’s diagnosis theory. These aspects of analysis have been automated in a workbench capable of answering queries about what can and should be done, in a given organisation, to achieve particular goals. The workbench uses a tableaux theorem proving method extended with additional rules to deal with the proposed classical action and deontic modalities. [pdf file]
F. Santos, Lógicas Modais de Acção para a Modelação da
Interacção entre Agentes e de Organizações, PhD dissertation, FCL-UL, 1998
Abstract: This work focus on some concepts of agency useful for describing agents' interaction in organisations. It is argued that there is an important distinction to be drawn between a "direct" and an "indirect" agency concept, and that the latter allows an easy and abstract way of expressing a organisational notion of responsibility. An "influence" agency concept is also introduced in order to cope with interactions between different agents. The formal characterisation of these concepts is given by means of modal logics, following the same tradition in the logical characterisation of act descriptions as employed by Kanger and Pörn. The properties of these logics are analysed, namely, the correctness and completeness of the proposed axiomatisations (with respect to the relevant model classes). A logic-oriented framework for the specification and analysis of organisations is proposed. Within this framework, an organization is seen as a multi-agent society where each agent has some "capabilities" and where agents interact according to some forms of "institutionalised power relations". The framework allows the analysis, at an appropriate level of abstraction, of some aspects of the organisation's activity and interaction with external users, by answering questions like "can agent x ensure task A?", "what should x do to obtain task A?" and "who should a user approach (in e.g. a public service) to solve problem A?". The automation of this framework is discussed and a workbench is presented. The workbench uses a tableaux theorem proving method extended with some additional rules to deal with the proposed classical action modalities. Finally, some generalisations of the proposed modal action logic are outlined. Some further concepts are proposed and their usefulness for the characterisation of agents’ interaction in organisations is discussed.[pdf files]
F. Santos, A.J.I.
Jones and J. Carmo, "Responsibility for Action in Organisations: a Formal
Model". In Contemporary Action Theory, vol. I, G. Holmström-Hintikka and
R. Tuomela (eds), Kluwer Academic Publishers, 333-348, 1997
Abstract: Modal action operators are combined with a deontic logic and a conditional logic, and applied to the analysis of some simple organisational structures. The characterisation of the notion of responsibility, and of the conditions under which an organisation recognises that an agent has fulfilled the responsibilities assigned to him, are the main focus of interest. It is argued that, in this context, distinctions should be articulated between direct and indirect action, and between successful and not necessarily successful action. The general line of approach taken here to the modal logic of action follows the tradition established by Kanger and Pörn. [pdf file]
F. Santos, A.J.I.
Jones and J. Carmo, "Action Concepts for Describing Organised
Interaction". In Proc. Thirtieth Annual
Abstract: The main aim of this paper is to propose a set of action concepts useful for describing organised interaction. These action concepts focus on two distinctions: the distinction between "direct" and "indirect" action, and the distinction between "successful" and "not necessarily successful" action. The formal characterisation of these concepts is given by means of modal logics, following the same tradition in the logical characterisation of act descriptions as employed by Kanger and Pörn . The modal action operators proposed are also combined with a deontic logic and a conditional logic, in order to illustrate their application to the analysis of some simple organisations. The focus of interest is on the notion of transmission of agency, and on the characterisation of the conditions under which an organisation recognises that an agent has fulfilled the responsibilities assigned to him.[pdf file]
F. Santos and J.
Carmo, "A Modal Action Logic Based Framework for Organization
Specification and Analysis". In Proc. Fifth European Workshop on Logics in
AI (JELIA'96), J.J. Alferes, L.M. Pereira and E. Orlowska (eds), Springer LNAI
1126, 119-133,1996
Abstract: This paper proposes a logic-oriented framework for the specification and analysis of organizations. Within this framework, an organization is seen as a multi-agent society where each agent has some "capabilities" and where agents interact according to some forms of "institutionalized power relations". Modal action logics, of the type developed in the Philosophy area, are used to reason about agent's agency and interaction. In spite of its simplicity (and limitations), the proposed framework allows us to deal, at an appropriate level of abstraction, with some fundamental issues in an organization, like the responsibility for some task, task decomposition, etc. Moreover, it can be used to support the automation of some aspects of the organization's activity and interaction with external users, being already possible to use a workbench to answer questions like "can agent x ensure task A?", "what should x do to obtain task A?", and "to whom should a user go (in e.g. a public service) to solve problem A?". The workbench uses a tableaux theorem proving method extended with some additional rules to deal with the proposed classical action modalities.[pdf file]
F. Santos and J.
Carmo, "Indirect Action, Influence and Responsibility". In Deontic
Logic, Agency and Normative Systems, M. Brown and J. Carmo (eds), Springer,
194-215, 1996
Abstract: In this paper a new action concept is proposed, within the same tradition of the logical characterization of act descriptions as employed by Kanger, Pörn and Lindhal. The concept sums up a successful goal oriented social activity into a unique assertion referring to the agent who has initiated it. It is argued that this notion allows us to increase the expressiveness of the characterization of agents' activity within organizations. For describing the agents' interaction the normative systems perspective is adopted, viewing such interactions as governed by norms and expressing them in terms of what agents are permitted and obliged to do. In this context, the new concept allows us to cope with normative descriptions that play an important role in organizations: responsibilities. The minimal properties of this "indirect" agency operator are discussed, and an "influence" operator is also introduced in order to cope with interactions between the different agents. The interest of these concepts within the analysis and specification of organizations is illustrated.[pdf file]
F. Santos, Uma Lógica Deôntica de Acções para a
Representação do Conhecimento Jurídico, MSc dissertation, IST-UTL, 1991
Abstract: The Contracts Law is explored with the
intention of representing different kinds of obligations issued by contracts,
where obligations may be seen as prescriptions of behaviours. Deontic logics
are presented, where the obligation operators catch directly some of the
mentioned elements of the General Obligation Theory (Contracts Law), namely
what should be done for the duty fulfilment and the circumstantial and temporal
aspects which are relevant to determine the obligation fulfilment
circumstances. The behaviours are analysed from the point of view of their a
posteriori verification (i.e., to decide when a specific behaviour is in
accordance with an obligation) and it is shown that the "fulfilment of an
obligation" should be distinguished from the "non-violation of an
obligation". The basic semantic concept is the notion of behaviour: a
sequence of atomic actions executed from a state of affairs. Firstly, the
operators are analysed in the simplest version and their relationships are
presented, as well the relationships between fulfilment and non-violation.
After that, these logics are enriched with dynamic operators, in order to see
how obligations carry on through the execution of actions. The semantics is
then changed in order to express the omission of an action and to explore the
relationships between obligation and forbiddance. Some forms of action
composition are also introduced. Finally, some natural generalisations of the
proposed logics are outlined. (see F. Santos and J. Carmo, “A Deontic Logic
Representation of Contractual Obligations”. In Deontic Logic in Computer Science: Normative System Specification,
J.-J.CH. Meyer and R.J. Wieringa (eds), John Wiley & Sons Ltd, 243-257,
1993. Also in Proc. First International Workshop on Deontic Logic in Computer Science
(DEON'91), J.-J.CH. Meyer and R.J. Wieringa (eds), 364-382, 1991[pdf file])