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Re: [ontolog-forum] Conjunction and Disjunction

To: "'[ontolog-forum] '" <ontolog-forum@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
From: "Rich Cooper" <rich@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Sat, 4 Jul 2009 15:16:59 -0700
Message-id: <20090704221738.81AA5138CD2@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>

Rob wrote:

> Metaphor is too complex to deal with, IMHO, prior to the controlled language

> JS describes.  The problems of metaphor, at least as I see it, are distinct

> from the problems of linguistic mappings from reality to FOL.  Metaphor

> happens after that step, when you MUST use inference to reach assertions

> that cannot be directly read from the axioms.

> Rich

 

I agree pretty much. But I don't see the harm in chipping away metaphor-by-metaphor (or analogy/simile/xyz) as a way of enhancing understanding/translation. Human discourse is heavily saturated with figurative references ("a stitch in time, saves nine" is not about sewing). Cliches ("No pain, no gain", "You have to break some eggs to make an omelet") so favored by managers who are analysis-challenged are similarly figurative (but I would believe, 'translatable' expressions). My bottom-line is there's a danger of getting too literal-minded about meaning that we lose the intended meaning. So why not incrementally macro our way out of many of these expressions (as well as the host of others) when we try to use machines to parse-and-compile human expressions? [the many faces of "the" being an example starting point]

Rob

*********

 

Someone (John Bottoms?) earlier brought up preexisting knowledge, i.e., the S[0]=t0 state of a trajectory of inferences. 

 

-Rich

 

 

Sincerely,

Rich Cooper

EnglishLogicKernel.com

Rich AT EnglishLogicKernel DOT com


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