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Re: [ontolog-forum] Two ontologies that are inconsistent but both needed

To: "[ontolog-forum]" <ontolog-forum@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
From: Waclaw Kusnierczyk <Waclaw.Marcin.Kusnierczyk@xxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Sun, 10 Jun 2007 23:11:03 +0200
Message-id: <466C68E7.7020709@xxxxxxxxxxx>
Chris Partridge wrote:
> vQ,
> 
>> I think the question of whether an avalanche is a continuant or an
>> occurrent is ill-posed,
> 
> I think there is some circularity here.
> 
> I am assuming (a thought experiment) where one is present at something that
> people tend to call avalanches, and asking what exists.
> 
> If one accepts the continuant/occurrent distinction then one could
> reasonably ask (as I did Barry) whether he thought a continuant or an
> occurrent or both existed.
> 
> I am not presupposing, as you seem to suggest, a notion of what an avalanche
> is. That is something for you and/or Barry to supply.    (01)

I did not suggest what you were presupposing.  I see there was a typo:
"One you accept" should be replaced by "Once you accept".  I am making a 
thought experiment as well -- *suppose* there are continuants and 
occurents as entities of two jepd categories.  I do not say there are.    (02)

> 
> I am happy if you want to take both your definitions below (call them
> avalanche#1 and avalanche#2 if you wish). This means that for you, these two
> things exist.    (03)

I recall definitions found in publicly available dictionaries.  What I 
say is:  once you accept the distinction between continuants and 
occurents, some of these definitions of avalanche speak of continuants, 
some of occurrents.  So the question 'is an avalanche an occurrent or a 
continuant' is ill-posed, since one does not know what you are asking 
about -- the mass of snow or its falling.  Once you do *not* accept the 
distinction, the question is even more ill-posed.    (04)

> I am suspicious of your discussion of meanings – which are about the
> relation of terms to the world – it is rather that exists in the world that
> I am interested in.     (05)

Of course.  So let's go out there, you'll point at what you want to ask 
about and we may discuss.  But once you ask a question using terms which 
are not unambiguous, answers you get to your questions on what there 
exists depend on how thee terms are understood.    (06)


vQ    (07)

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