The term argument is used in two different ways by Cyclists:
- Most commonly, the term “argument” is used to refer to any CycL term which follows a predicate, a function, a logical connective, or a quantifier in a CycL expression. Thus, in the CycL formula
(#$likesAsFriend #$BillM #$Goolsbey),#$likesAsFriendis a predicate, and#$BillMand#$Goolsbeyare the first and second arguments to that predicate. - The term “argument” is also used to refer to a reason why an assertion is present in the KB with its truth value. Arguments are of two main types: asserted arguments, which essentially state that the formula was explicitly added to Cyc by a user or application program, and deductions, which provide justifications for deduced assertions.