A planner driven by a causal theory and based on hypothetical
reasoning is constructed and discussed. The task is approached from the
fundamentals of time and event logics, and causality, resulting in a planner
suitable for modeling a wide variety of realistic problem domains, and
capable of reasoning in an intuitive manner about dynamic domains. The
underlying causal theory drives the planning process directly and, in
conjunction with the uniform representation of time and causal facts, allows
elegant solutions to planning problems. A new type of planning problem,
the indirect goal problem, is identified and solved It is also shown that
previous planners cannot solve this type of problem. The frame problem is
discussed in detail, and given a computational definition, suitable for
allowing objective comparison between different approaches. The
hypothetical reasoning approach is shown to allow an elegant solution to the
frame problem appropriate for planning systems.
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