Re: [ontolog-forum] {Disarmed} Reality and Truth

["Deborah MacPherson" <debmacp@xxxxxxxxx>]

Hi John, 

Will look at the book. What I'm asking for may not exist but very generally - I'm curious about existing work on classifying information for reuse/further interpretation versus archiving or even better, purging all together when more relevant and complete information becomes available. 

Debbie

On 5/2/07, John F. Sowa <sowa@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

Debbie,

I'm not sure what you're asking for:

> Do you know of any examples reclassifying previously
> valuable high ranking information to "TRASH IT".

But it is certainly true that people constantly classify
information (and the things they refer to) in ways that
have all kinds of political implications.

Following is a book with lots of good illustrations of
that point:

    Schiappa, Edward (2003) _Defining Reality:  Definitions
    and the Politics of Meaning_, Southern Illinois
    University Press, Carbondale.

A quotation from that book:

    "When are definitions political?  Always."

One of Schiappa's examples is the word 'wetlands', whose
definition is a political football -- being kicked around
by every conceivable special-interest group.

The definition depends on whether you're a real-estate
developer, a biologist, a conservationist, or a politician.
If the latter, the definition depends not only on the
political party, but on the location of the politician's
district upstream, downstream, or next to the "wetlands".
Many of the definitions seem to be innocuous, but they have
subtle implications that can be exploited in creative ways.

John

-- 

*************************************************
Deborah L. MacPherson
Specifier, WDG Architecture PLLC
Projects Director, Accuracy&Aesthetics

**************************************************
_________________________________________________________________
Message Archives: http://ontolog.cim3.net/forum/ontolog-forum/  
Subscribe/Config: http://ontolog.cim3.net/mailman/listinfo/ontolog-forum/  
Unsubscribe: mailto:ontolog-forum-leave@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Shared Files: http://ontolog.cim3.net/file/
Community Wiki: http://ontolog.cim3.net/wiki/ 
To Post: mailto:ontolog-forum@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx    (01)