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Discovery Seminar 175555/UE 141 M – Fall 2008 Solving Crimes using Referent Tracking On ‘definitions’ September 17, 2008. Werner CEUSTERS Center of Excellence in Bioinformatics and Life Sciences Ontology Research Group University at Buffalo, NY, USA.
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Discovery Seminar 175555/UE 141 M – Fall 2008Solving Crimes using Referent Tracking On ‘definitions’September 17, 2008 Werner CEUSTERS Center of Excellence in Bioinformatics and Life Sciences Ontology Research Group University at Buffalo, NY, USA
What is a definition ? I asked Google: “define: definition” • a concise explanation of the meaning of a word or phrase or symbol (wordnet.princeton.edu/perl/webwn) • a statement of the meaning of a word or phrase. (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Definition) • "Definition" is the first single from Black Star's eponymously titled 1999 album (see 1999 in music). It is produced by Hi-Tek, who samples "The P Is Free" by Boogie Down Productions for the track's beat. ...(en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Definition) • Definition was a Canadian television game show, which aired on CTV from 1974 to 1989, and filmed at its flagship studio of CFTO-TV in Scarborough, Ontario (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Definition (TV series) • Statement that expresses the essential nature of a data element and permits its differentiation from all other data elements. (144.53.252.30/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/Latestproducts/4527.0Appendix12006) • A formal, specific, and exact specification. (www.chemie.de/lexikon/e/Kilogram) • A dictionary-style statement that describes the concept designated by a term. (www.translationbureau.gc.ca/index.php) • A step in the marketing research process that involves a clear statement of the topic to be studied. (www.prenhall.com/rm_student/html/glossary/i_gloss.html) Which are relevant in our context ?
Dog-ness ‘dog’ What does it mean ‘to define something’ ?
What does it mean ‘to define something’ ? • Under what circumstances am I allowed in my community to use the word ‘dog’ to denote some thing in reality ? Dog-ness ‘dog’
What does it mean ‘to define something’ ? • What are the essential characteristics that distinguish dogs from other things ? Dog-ness ‘dog’
What does it mean ‘to define something’ ? • How to determine whether the thing of which this picture is taken is a dog ? Dog-ness ‘dog’
Examples for each type of definition • Appropriate usage of a word ‘girl’ – ‘chick’ • Essential characteristics distinguishing types from other types ‘death’ – ‘alive’ • Essential characteristics for something to be of a type for a human: head separated from rest of the body 2 1 3
generic specific Human understanding and communication First-order reality How can we know what dogs ‘really’ are ? ‘Dog-ness’ Dog-ness ‘dog’
generic specific Human understanding and communication First-order reality In what way do the corner-denotations interact ? Scientific discovery ‘Dog-ness’ Dog-ness Case study Convention Convention ‘dog’ Convention
What is a good definition ? • Is ‘a good definition gives an if-and-only-if condition for when an object satisfies a definition’ a good definition ? • No ! • What if your teacher gives you an if-and-only-if condition for an object to be a dog? Is your teacher then a good definition ?
Better • a good definition is a definition which gives an if-and-only-if condition for when an object satisfies that definition • One type of good definitions: Aristotelian definitions • An X is a Y which … • A killing is an act which … • An act is a process which … • … ?????
The structure of reality mammal dog horse cat hound