Richard: (01)
On 4/7/09 9:31 PM, "Richard H. McCullough" <rhm@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>
> How about a real mapping, instead of a formal mapping.
> I'll stick to the example "John F. Sowa is a human."
DN: That statement only maps symbols to symbols, using symbols as
conjunctions. Each of these symbols has a different meaning in different
contexts.
>
> I can go on the internet and Google "John F. Sowa".
> I can find out where he lives, and see him with my own eyes.
> I can tell whether he is human or not.
DN: again - all of these things are symbols that represent a concept and are
not the only symbols/terms that can represent that concept. IN any case,
assuming that any set/collection of symbols is an ontology is incorrect as
ontology work is done in the conceptual region. How useful to a person from
the Czech republic is that information if they do not speak english?
Ontology work is done at a higher plane that symbols.
>
> Alternatively, if you're looking for a more "social" solution,
> you can ask a panel of humans if "John F. Sowa is a human."?
> Isn't that the essence of shared knowledge?
DN: perhaps if they all speak English and the context is that john is either
hman or not, yes. If you cannot map that collection of English symbols to
concepts, it is utterly useless, about the same as if I said to you "glofdg
gobhh f mdnqu opdjsfknojkfdds". (02)
Formally, I could also aver that John Sowa is an instance of the class of
living mammals that inherits from a superclass of animals, inheriting from a
superclass of "things that are conscious". Unless I map all of those labels
to a concept, they are also meaning less. There are also about ten thousand
other ways I could describe that binary relationship with symbols. (03)
Ich kann auch in Deutsche "john ist eine mann" spreche und das is auch
rightig. Bestimmt! (04)
What does "human" mean? "John Sowa" is not his name (notwithstanding the
fact we never agreed on the semantics of "name") - it is a label he has the
right to use since he has passed some certification process by some
government agency to their satisfaction that he has that right. (05)
Everything I say is inferred differently by everyone on this list. That is
because all I have done is hit a keyboard and produced a set of symbols.
The meaning of these symbols is different in different contexts. (06)
Sorry to sound agitated but I really urge you to consider the fact you might
have mis-interpreted the previous emails. (07)
Duane (08)
>
> Dick McCullough
> http://mkrmke.org
>
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> (09)
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