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Re: [ontolog-forum] Definitions, Dictionaries, and Meanings

To: "[ontolog-forum]" <ontolog-forum@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
From: "Len Yabloko" <lenya@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Sun, 18 Jan 2009 19:30:04 +0000
Message-id: <W458526601241651232307004@webmail12>
John and all,     (01)

Thank you for the link. I have followed it and have some comments:
>
>As useful background, I often cite the following tutorial
>by the philosopher Norman Swartz:
>
>    http://www.sfu.ca/philosophy/swartz/definitions.htm
>    (02)

I found it not quite satisfactory for the purposes of this forum. IMHO - it 
lacks interdisciplinary connections in defining the terms which are equally 
important to other fields besides philosophy and linguistics. I doubt that this 
tutorial will answer the need for suitable common reference as asked repeatedly 
by the participants here.     (03)

For example, following explanation:
"The extension of a term or phrase is understood to be the timeless class of 
all things which properly 'fall under' or are described by that phrase."
This may be workable for linguist, but not for computer scientists or 
mathematician (although I am not one of them).    (04)

Here is quite different definition of the same term in 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extension_(predicate_logic)
"The extension of a predicate ? a truth-valued function ? is the set of tuples 
of values that, used as arguments, satisfy the predicate. Such a set of tuples 
is a relation."
In this case at least there a link to alternative definition from another 
field, and even suggestion that definitions should be merged. However, no one 
so far had attempted to that publicly.    (05)

I recall several discussion on this forum that attempted to connect the terms 
"intension", "extension", "class", "predicate" etc. into coherent framework, 
but IMO failed to do so for the very same reason - lack of interdisciplinary 
definition that would satisfy the need of constructive discussion.    (06)

Unfortunately, I can not offer any better alternative. However I do believe 
that it is possible. May be we should attempt this relatively humble objective 
before trying to develop yet another FO or repository of such. I think step one 
in that direction would be to accept the absence of common definitions, which 
should be apparent from following discussion over a long period of time (as I 
did).    (07)

If anyone agrees with me I would suggest to begin with notions of "intention" 
and "extension" as it relates to notions of "model" and "theory".    (08)





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