Dear Paola,
Ontologies differ in the way they approach what you think of as
intangibles. Some of them have specific things that would claim to be
intangible, others do not.
For 4D ontologies like IDEAS and ISO 15926, everything is either
a spatio-temporal extent (possible or actual) and sets (including relations).
So I will not talk for others, but I will say what the list
below is from a 4D perspective.
I understand that most
intangibles can be associated with a tangible countepart
even the wind, which we cannot touch, is indeed a physical phenomenon
however, things exist that are abstract, ie, do not have physical qualities
I can make a list but surely you can come up with a list too
emotions (okay, sweat and heartbeat are indicators of emotions but not emotions
themselves)
ideas
[MW] This is usually
some sort of plan of how things could be, so we are into possible worlds (or
John’s version of them)
Thoughts
[MW] Thinking is an
activity that goes on in a spatio-temporal location, and a thought is
presumably the result of this, and is a state of, perhaps part of, someone’s
brain.
Beliefs
[MW] Beliefs would
usually be about rules that are followed. So the rules would be around some
classes, and the belief part is about how someone views those rules.
Regards
Matthew West
Information Junction
Tel: +44 560 302 3685
Mobile: +44 750 3385279
matthew.west@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
http://www.matthew-west.org.uk/
This email originates from Information Junction Ltd. Registered
in England and Wales No. 6632177.
Registered office: 2 Brookside, Meadow Way, Letchworth Garden
City, Hertfordshire, SG6 3JE.