nonmonotonic reasoning

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nonmonotonic reasoning A form of reasoning in which the acquisition of new knowledge can cause earlier conclusions to be withdrawn, so that the body of inferred knowledge does not grow monotonically (i.e. does not increase consistently) with the body of received knowledge. Various systems of nonmonotonic reasoning have been developed, among which are nonmonotonic logic, circumscription, default reasoning, autoepistemic logic, and negation as failure.