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Re: [ontolog-forum] Levels

To: "[ontolog-forum] " <ontolog-forum@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
From: Kathryn Blackmond Laskey <klaskey@xxxxxxx>
Date: Sun, 11 Feb 2007 22:07:46 -0500
Message-id: <p06110414c1f589f3dbed@[192.168.0.103]>
You're right that import statements should not be considered part of 
an ontology.  I agree it's the imported axioms that are part of the 
ontology.    (01)

Kathy    (02)

At 7:02 PM -0600 2/11/07, Christopher Menzel wrote:
>On Feb 11, 2007, at 6:26 PM, Kathryn Blackmond Laskey wrote:
>>  [John wrote:]
>>>  Following is a better specification of an ontology.
>>>
>>>  Vocabulary: {loopyLetter}
>>>
>>>  Theory:
>>>
>>>      Every loopyLetter is a letter in a circular envelope.
>>>
>>>      No loopyLetter is delivered on a Tuesday.
>>>
>>>  This would be a special-case ontology that uses terms that may
>>>  be defined in other ontologies: letter, in, circular, envelope,
>>>  deliver, Tuesday.
>>  ...
>>  Wouldn't you want to require your ontology to explicitly name the
>>  ontologies from which it was drawing terms? Otherwise, we could have
>>  any number of meanings assigned to the terms not defined in the
>>  ontology, if there were multiple external ontologies that defined
>>  them in conflicting ways.
>
>I take it that was implicit in John's last sentence there (though his 
>use of "may be defined" does hint that he's leaving it open in the 
>way your response suggests).  But let's assume that in a complete 
>example John would have included some relevant URLs -- more exactly, 
>some "import" statements in which URLs are arguments -- that point to 
>ontologies that axiomatize "letter", "in", etc.  Contrary to what it 
>seems you are suggesting here (forgive me if I'm wrong), I don't 
>believe it would be correct to think of those import statements as 
>part of John's ontology.  An import statement is metadata; it is 
>simply a mechanism to support re-use on open networks, an efficient 
>alternative to writing down externally located axioms explicitly.  It 
>is those externally located axioms themselves, not the statements by 
>which they are imported, that are part of John's ontology.
>
>Chris Menzel
>
>
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