tools-only BDI Ontology Core Patterns
Core ontology design patterns for Belief-Desire-Intention mental state modeling.
Class Hierarchy
Mental Entities (Endurants)
bdi:MentalEntity
├── bdi:Belief # Informational dimension
├── bdi:Desire # Motivational dimension
├── bdi:Intention # Deliberative dimension
├── bdi:Goal # Description of desired end state
└── bdi:Plan # Structured action sequence
Mental Processes (Perdurants)
bdi:MentalProcess
├── bdi:BeliefProcess # Forms/updates beliefs from perception
├── bdi:DesireProcess # Generates desires from beliefs
├── bdi:IntentionProcess # Commits to desires as intentions
├── bdi:Planning # Transforms intentions into plans
└── bdi:PlanExecution # Executes plan actions
Supporting Entities
bdi:WorldState # Configuration of environment
bdi:Justification # Evidential basis for mental states
bdi:Task # Atomic unit of planned action
bdi:Action # Execution of a task
bdi:TimeInterval # Temporal validity bounds
bdi:TimeInstant # Point in time reference
Object Properties
Motivational Relations
| Property | Domain | Range | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
motivates |
Belief | Desire | Belief provides reason for desire |
isMotivatedBy |
Desire | Belief | Inverse of motivates |
fulfils |
Intention | Desire | Intention commits to achieving desire |
isFulfilledBy |
Desire | Intention | Inverse of fulfils |
isSupportedBy |
Intention | Belief | Beliefs supporting intention viability |
Generative Relations
| Property | Domain | Range | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
generates |
MentalProcess | MentalEntity | Process creates mental state |
isGeneratedBy |
MentalEntity | MentalProcess | Inverse of generates |
modifies |
MentalProcess | MentalEntity | Process updates existing state |
suppresses |
MentalProcess | MentalEntity | Process deactivates state |
isTriggeredBy |
MentalProcess | MentalEntity | State initiates process |
Referential Relations
| Property | Domain | Range | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
refersTo |
MentalEntity | WorldState | Mental state about world |
perceives |
Agent | WorldState | Agent observes world |
bringsAbout |
Action | WorldState | Action causes world change |
reasonsUpon |
MentalProcess | MentalEntity | Input to reasoning |
Structural Relations
| Property | Domain | Range | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
hasPart |
MentalEntity | MentalEntity | Meronymic composition |
specifies |
Intention | Plan | Intention defines plan |
addresses |
Plan | Goal | Plan achieves goal |
hasComponent |
Plan | Task | Plan contains tasks |
precedes |
Task | Task | Task ordering |
Temporal Relations
| Property | Domain | Range | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
atTime |
Entity | TimeInstant | Point occurrence |
hasValidity |
MentalEntity | TimeInterval | Persistence bounds |
hasStartTime |
TimeInterval | TimeInstant | Interval start |
hasEndTime |
TimeInterval | TimeInstant | Interval end |
Justification Relations
| Property | Domain | Range | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
isJustifiedBy |
MentalEntity | Justification | Evidential support |
justifies |
Justification | MentalEntity | Inverse relation |
Ontological Restrictions
Belief Restrictions
bdi:Belief rdfs:subClassOf [
a owl:Restriction ;
owl:onProperty bdi:refersTo ;
owl:someValuesFrom bdi:WorldState
] .
bdi:Belief rdfs:subClassOf [
a owl:Restriction ;
owl:onProperty bdi:hasValidity ;
owl:maxCardinality 1
] .
Desire Restrictions
bdi:Desire rdfs:subClassOf [
a owl:Restriction ;
owl:onProperty bdi:isMotivatedBy ;
owl:someValuesFrom bdi:Belief
] .
Intention Restrictions
bdi:Intention rdfs:subClassOf [
a owl:Restriction ;
owl:onProperty bdi:fulfils ;
owl:cardinality 1
] .
bdi:Intention rdfs:subClassOf [
a owl:Restriction ;
owl:onProperty bdi:isSupportedBy ;
owl:someValuesFrom bdi:Belief
] .
Mental Process Restrictions
bdi:BeliefProcess rdfs:subClassOf [
a owl:Restriction ;
owl:onProperty bdi:generates ;
owl:allValuesFrom bdi:Belief
] .
bdi:DesireProcess rdfs:subClassOf [
a owl:Restriction ;
owl:onProperty bdi:generates ;
owl:allValuesFrom bdi:Desire
] .
bdi:IntentionProcess rdfs:subClassOf [
a owl:Restriction ;
owl:onProperty bdi:generates ;
owl:allValuesFrom bdi:Intention
] .
DOLCE Alignment
The BDI ontology aligns with DOLCE Ultra Lite (DUL) foundational ontology:
| BDI Class | DUL Superclass | Rationale |
|---|---|---|
Agent |
dul:Agent |
Intentional entity capable of action |
Belief |
dul:InformationObject |
Information-bearing entity |
Desire |
dul:Description |
Describes desired state |
Intention |
dul:Description |
Describes committed course |
Goal |
dul:Goal |
Desired end state description |
Plan |
dul:Plan |
Organized action sequence |
WorldState |
dul:Situation |
Configuration of entities |
MentalProcess |
dul:Event |
Temporally extended occurrence |
Task |
dul:Task |
Unit of planned work |
Action |
dul:Action |
Performed task instance |
Reused Ontology Design Patterns
EventCore Pattern
Used for mental processes with temporal aspects and participant roles.
Situation Pattern
Used for world state configurations that mental states reference.
TimeIndexedSituation Pattern
Used for associating mental states with validity intervals.
BasicPlan Pattern
Used for goal-plan-task structures linking intentions to actions.
Provenance Pattern
Used for justification tracking and evidential chains.
Namespace Declarations
@prefix bdi: <https://w3id.org/fossr/ontology/bdi/> .
@prefix dul: <http://www.ontologydesignpatterns.org/ont/dul/DUL.owl#> .
@prefix owl: <http://www.w3.org/2002/07/owl#> .
@prefix rdf: <http://www.w3.org/1999/02/22-rdf-syntax-ns#> .
@prefix rdfs: <http://www.w3.org/2000/01/rdf-schema#> .
@prefix xsd: <http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#> .