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Re: [ontolog-forum] objective truth (was Re: {Disarmed} Re: OWL and lack

To: "[ontolog-forum]" <ontolog-forum@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
From: Waclaw Kusnierczyk <Waclaw.Marcin.Kusnierczyk@xxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Mon, 30 Apr 2007 09:42:46 +0200
Message-id: <46359DF6.6020601@xxxxxxxxxxx>


Charles D Turnitsa wrote:
> Pat, Steve,
> 
>  In the (very interesting) conversation you are having concerning the 
> representation of "facts" within an ontology as either objective or 
> subjective, I have a few observations that may help the conversation (or 
> at least will kick it down the street a few meters).
> 
>  First, to be fair, let me give my vantage point on the topic at large.  
> I see that there are very few things that may be said which are 
> universally objective.  Things based upon abstractions and abstract law 
> (such as mathematics) are among these.  Moving beyond the abstract, into 
> the nature of things, behaviors, actions, processes, and so on - I see 
> that there are fewer and fewer things that can be stated universally 
> objectively. 
> 
> Take, for instance, Newtonian physics.  In 1850, one is tempted to say 
> that the whole system of Newtonian Physics is objectively true.  In 
> 1950, one is tempted to say that it is not true.  For the majority of 
> the world, there is no change in their interaction with the universe 
> when compared between the world of 1850 and the world of 1950, however 
> the truth about a description of that interaction has changed.    (01)

i would say that the truth about the descriptions has not changed, 
*unless* the interaction itself has changed, of course.  but assuming 
the interaction was in 1950 as it were in 1850, the newtonian 
description of the interaction was (if what we think now is correct) 
false both in 1850 and in 1950, as well as the description adopted in 
1950 were also true (if what we think now is correct)
in 1850, were it articulated then.  so if the truth about these 
descriptions is (and was) that one of them is correct and the other is 
not, this truth has (presumably) not changed.    (02)

vQ    (03)

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