Open-world assumption

In a formal system of logic used for knowledge representation, the open-world assumption is the assumption that the truth value of a statement may be true irrespective of whether or not it is known to be true. It is the opposite of the closed-world assumption, which holds that any statement that is true is also known to be true. Example Statement: "Mary" "is a citizen of" "France" Question: Is Paul a citizen of France? "Closed world" (for example SQL) answer: No. "Open world" answer: Unknown.

Open-world assumption

In a formal system of logic used for knowledge representation, the open-world assumption is the assumption that the truth value of a statement may be true irrespective of whether or not it is known to be true. It is the opposite of the closed-world assumption, which holds that any statement that is true is also known to be true. Example Statement: "Mary" "is a citizen of" "France" Question: Is Paul a citizen of France? "Closed world" (for example SQL) answer: No. "Open world" answer: Unknown.