Re: [ontolog-forum] ambiguity interferes with

["Deborah MacPherson" <debmacp@xxxxxxxxx>]

Actually, I think ambiguity is good. It serves a purpose. It interferes with information exchange and productivity - but is essential for expressing new ideas or looking at old ideas in new ways.

On 3/11/07, John F. Sowa <sowa@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

Debbie and Jack,

I realize that precise specifications are essential
for many purposes, but ambiguity is inevitable,
especially at the early design stages.

A few points:

  1. The goal in any kind of design (engineering,
     architecture, farming, etc.) is to transform a
     vague initial idea into a precise specification.

  2. But there is no unique way or automated way of
     going from a vague stage to a precise stage.
     However, semi-automated tools can help.

  3. The assumption that a single, universal ontology
     can cover everything would imply that all of science
     is finished -- no further discoveries are possible.
     That won't happen for a long, long, long time.

  4. However, it is possible to have a fairly general,
     underspecified type hierarchy.  But the detailed
     axioms are where conflicts arise.

  5. Those detailed axioms could be placed in optional
     modules that could be adopted in a mix or match
     approach.  Something like that is already done
     with program libraries, and ontologies can be
     organized along similar lines.

For more on these points, see the slides of the
following two talks and a recent paper:

    http://www.jfsowa.com/talks/cmapping.pdf
    Concept Mapping

    http://www.jfsowa.com/talks/extend.pdf
    Extending Semantic Interoperability

     http://www.jfsowa.com/pubs/dynonto.htm
    Dynamic Ontology

Bottom line:  It's wishful thinking to hope that some
magic solution will eliminate vagueness and ambiguity.
But it is possible to find ways of controlling it.

John


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