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Re: [ontology-summit] ontology as logical theory?

To: Ontology Summit 2007 Forum <ontology-summit@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
From: Christopher Menzel <cmenzel@xxxxxxxx>
Date: Sun, 28 Jan 2007 18:10:05 -0600
Message-id: <55470FD6-B43F-4504-A293-ED805729E6CB@xxxxxxxx>
> Ok, but then why use the term "ontology"? If you are right, let's just
> use the term "logical theory"?    (01)

I don't think that would follow.  For one thing, I'm only proposing  
that "logical theory" is the only viable *definition* of "formal  
ontology".  There are still a variety of informal notions of  
"ontology" where "logical theory" has no purchase.  Furthermore,  
formal ontologies themselves tend to evolve out of these contexts, so  
it is useful to maintain continuity of usage.  Finally, "ontology" is  
a nice evocative term whose connotations do usefully reflect the fact  
that ontologies are typically designed to play some useful conceptual  
or computational role in representing, structuring, and/or managing  
information.  Those are good connotations.  I simply don't think it  
is possible to capture those important but imprecise connotations in  
a *definition*, and that attempting to do so leads only to useless,  
time-consuming haggling.    (02)

> Nothing is lost by calling an ontology a
> logical theory, to you, and, to me, nothing is gained. I now wonder  
> why
> we ever called "logical theories" ontologies. Why did we? Convenience?    (03)

I think the remarks above address this.    (04)

> I would say that being a logical theory is a precondition or necessary
> condition for being a top-end (type N) ontology, but there's more. And
> not every logical theory is an ontology.    (05)

Well, that might be where we have to leave it.  I however, can  
define, my concept of (formal) ontology; you can't, at least, not  
with any rigor or precision.  That seems like a bad thing for the  
concept of a *formal* ontology. :-)    (06)

-chris    (07)


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