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Inphilosophy andAI (especially,knowledge-based systems), thequalification problem is concerned with the impossibility of listingall thepreconditions required for a real-world action to have its intended effect.[1][2] It might be posed ashow to deal with the things that prevent me from achieving my intended result. It is strongly connected to, and opposite theramification side of, theframe problem.[1] John McCarthy gives the following motivating example, in which it is impossible to enumerate all the circumstances that may prevent a robot from performing its ordinary function:
[T]he successful use of a boat to cross a river requires, if the boat is a rowboat, that the oars and rowlocks be present and unbroken, and that they fit each other. Many other qualifications can be added, making the rules for using a rowboat almost impossible to apply, and yet anyone will still be able to think of additional requirements not yet stated.[3]
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