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Re: [ontolog-forum] metaphysis, semantics and the research program of on

To: "'[ontolog-forum] '" <ontolog-forum@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
From: "doug foxvog" <doug@xxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Mon, 26 Mar 2012 11:09:42 -0400
Message-id: <d97ee895f8cdf223704c6433027ea037.squirrel@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
On Sun, March 25, 2012 13:52, Rich Cooper wrote:
> doug foxvog wrote:    (01)

>> Or course, what can be physically measured depends upon context.  In
>> various contexts, things beyond a certain (temporal or linear) scale would
>> be out of context and not part of that context's physical reality.  And,
>> of course, context is a conceptual, not physical concept -- although it
>> may be given a physical definition.    (02)

> One way to view context is as a collection of properties and relations
> about a situation.  In that view, context is possibly physical, and
> possibly conceptual, but not necessarily either.    (03)

I meant that a context is a conceptual construct.  It seems that you are
referring to the physical definition of the context, which i referred to
in the next sentence.    (04)

> For example, if I am recording objects and their properties in a database,
> then a query    (05)

A query is a conceptual object and has a conceptual structure.  If the
query is seen as merely a string of 1s and 0s, it can not be used until
it is interpreted to have some meaning by mapping it to some conceptual
structure.    (06)

> which returns a situation description may have either
> conceptual structure (if they are MY concepts that were recorded) or
> physical structure (if the returned values are solely physical SENSOR
> measurements).    (07)

Sure.  The conceptual context may include in its physical definition a
conceptually selected time frame and a conceptually selected set of
sensors and their readings.  The individual readings may be more than
merely binary values, but given a conceptual meaning, for example,
temperature in degrees Kelvin, pressure in Pascals, time in milliseconds
offset from T0, etc.    (08)

> In actual practice, a context can mix both physical and subjective
> ('conceptual' if you prefer) estimates of reality, and usually does in
> most practical database applications.    (09)

I do not use 'conceptual' to mean 'subjective'.    (010)

I think that this is really the key to the discussion.    (011)

I define 'conceptual' as something that is a construct of one or more minds.    (012)

> So, IMHO, situations are every bit as slippery and subjective as concepts.
>  Situations are just more articulated since they usually comprise both
> concepts and sensor readings.    (013)

First, i was not considering contexts to be situations.  They are quite
different things.    (014)

Having said that, i agree that situations are slippery concepts.  Their
boundaries are subjective.  The temporal and spatial limits of a storm
are defined arbitrarily.  What situations and events count as subevents
or sub-situations of a war?  How are breaks in thought considered when
examining the situation of my responding to this email?    (015)

-- doug    (016)


> -Rich
>
>
>
> Sincerely,
>
> Rich Cooper
>
> EnglishLogicKernel.com
>
> Rich AT EnglishLogicKernel DOT com
>
> 9 4 9 \ 5 2 5 - 5 7 1 2
> ...    (017)




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