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Re: [ontology-summit] [Making the Case] Elevator Pitch

To: Ontology Summit 2011 discussion <ontology-summit@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
From: Professor James Davenport <jhd@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Tue, 1 Feb 2011 17:08:12 +0000 (GMT)
Message-id: <Pine.LNX.4.64.1102011705500.25617@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
On Tue, 1 Feb 2011, Pat Hayes wrote:
> Agree. And to rub some salt in, a piece of information which is completely 
>unambiguous and fully understood when it is created can *become* ambiguous and 
>in need of clarification later, by virtue of new distinctions being created or 
>discovered, or simply imposed by some ontological fiat. A better survey can 
>re-define the edges of a real property. A scientific discovery can reveal that 
>a single element is actually a mixture of isotopes. When the organization 
>adopts OBO, suddenly you have to decide if your favorite Auntie is a 
>continuant or an occurrent. To seek to get final, absolute clarity is a 
>sisyphean enterprise. 
Witness the recent discovery that the African elephant is in fact two 
species:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-12054343    (01)

Think of all the re-classification that "needs" to be done!
James    (02)

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