[ba-ohs-talk] Ontologies
[snip] (01)
> The idea that there is only one definition for any given thing
> strikes me as more a horror than a benefit. What does anyone mean
> when they say a word? How does anyone else interpret that word? One
> of the reasons I joined the PORT list and have been digging into
> the works of Charles Sanders Peirce (and of course others) is
> because it's a fallacy to believe that such a thing as a "global"
> ontology makes any sense whatsoever. (02)
A global ontology definitely doesn't make any sense, unless
one gets God to write it. (Perhaps He is hanging on some
other hypermail list?) (03)
In fact seeing "ontology" in the plural confuses me. Like reality
itself, an ontology is, or it is not. "Ontologies" makes about as
much sense as talking about "my reality" -- which in fact means
"the way *I perceive* reality" -- at which point one has grossly
misused the word "ontology." (04)
Marcia Bates from UCLA information sciences has a few choice
words on the subject at:
http://www.hastingsresearch.com/net/08-net-information-retrieval.shtml#3 (05)
N.
--
________________________________
Nicholas Carroll
ncarroll@hastingsresearch.com
Travel: ncarroll1000@yahoo.com
http://www.hastingsresearch.com
________________________________
"The hardest single part of building a software system
is deciding precisely what to build." -- Frederick Brooks (06)