This book is mainly concerned with computer-aided instructions for teaching history, specifically with the use of logic programming and PROLOG. It comprises a collection of short papers, many of which have previously been published or presented at meetings. There are 13 such papers (or chapters) plus an Introduction, Bibliography, and Index. The papers have clearly been written for non-technical, naive readers.
The first paper deals with introductory remarks on the use of computers for the study and teaching of history. The second paper has two parts: a brief “survey of literature,” which consists of rather anecdotal notes on individuals ranging from AI to philosophers and psychologists; the second part consists of translations by the author of some papers from a group of humanists in France. Other chapters and topics deal with possible uses of artificial intelligence in education, a Japanese fifth generation project, logic programming, historical simulation, information retrieval, archeology, and PROLOG, among others.
There are several trivial case studies and models, for example: the Russian revolution, European parliament, elections, creative writing, weather forecasting, bird identification, the England cricket team, and so forth.
The author is a firm believer of PROLOG and he gives many simple micro-PROLOG illustrations. Here, for example, is one given for Nuclear Arms Talk:
arms-race outcome if USA decides arm and
:.BDarms-race outcome if USSR decides arm
peace-talks outcome if USA decides stop and
:.BDpeace-talks outcome if USSR decides stop
(x lead) outcome if x decides arm and
:.BD(x lead) outcome if y decides stop
which (x:x outcome)
which (x:x decides arm)?
:.BDwhich (x answer is USSR
:.BDwhich (x answer is end
which (x:x decides stop)?
:.BDwhich (x answer is USA
:.BDwhich (x answer is end
:.BDwhich (x :2WN (USSR lead)
:.BDwhich (x no (more) answers
