Yes, every performance of a play is in fact a
bit different, but the outcome is always the same.
I was more interested in the question if plays
can be considered as a kind of model for systems
with complex BDI agents and abstract rules.
If a developer programs an object-oriented system,
he determines in detail what every object should do,
step by step, in every possible situation, see
http://4loc.wordpress.com/2009/08/23/longing-for-world-domination/
What happens if we write advanced programs for agent-
oriented systems, would they look like plays from
a playwright? Or would we have to program
beliefs, desires, emotions and intentions?
In plays, the actors are driven by basic emotions
and intentions. One theme is "love in hate" or
"desire in vengeance" which appears in "Romeo and
Juliet". Among others, the "desire in vengeance"
theme can also be found in Hamlet: Ophelia and
Hamlet love each other, but Hamlet kills her
father accidentally, she kills herself, then her
brother Laertes takes revenge, and in the end
they are all dead.
The playwright usually describes one of many
possible plots or outcomes for a certain theme,
here for instance what could happen if love and
hate collide. The basic motives are as simple as
the rules in basic ABMs. This is why I said
that ABMs and plays can be considered as two
extremes on one scale:
ABMs:
- simple agents, driven by basic rules
- outcome (the sequence of actions) is not determined
Plays:
- complex actors, driven by basic emotions and intentions
- outcome (the sequence of actions) is determined
-J.
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