A prototype-centered approach to adding deduction capability to search engines-the concept of protoform

Existing search engines have many remarkable capabilities. But what is not among them is deduction capability-the capability to answer a query by drawing on information which resides in various parts of the knowledge base or is augmented by the user. The problem-which is not widely recognized-is that much of the information in the knowledge base of a search engine is perception-based. Methods based on bivalent logic and standard probability theory lack capability to operate on perception-based information. A search engine with deduction capability is, in effect, a question-answering system. Limited progress toward a realization of deduction capability is achievable through application of methods based on bivalent logic and standard probability theory. But to move beyond the reach of standard methods it is necessary to change direction. In the approach which is outlined, a concept which plays a pivotal role is that of a prototype-a concept which has a position of centrality in human reasoning, recognition, search and decision processes.