On the consequences of acting in the presence of inconsistency

Abstract

Managing inconsistency in specifications covers a range of activities from consistency checking and inconsistency analysis to inconsistency handling through action. We argue that inconsistency analysis is insufficient to determine the choice of actions to take in the presence of inconsistency. Rather, we propose that some form of 'hypothetical reasoning' is needed in order to determine the consequences of different actions and thereby facilitate the decision making process. We suggest some logic based techniques and associated heuristics for analysing the consequences of acting in the presence of inconsistency.