Concepts are meanings of terms (special kinds of words or symbols)
Types are referents of terms
No conflation (01)
At 11:00 PM 1/18/2006, you wrote:
>I would suggest it is very important not to conflate terms and concepts. I
>am using term to mean "symbol", perhaps you are using it another way. Even
>if you are using it another way, many people will think it is symbol. We
>should then be able to have multiple contextual names for concepts.
>"Role" is frequently used as the "ends" of a relation. I would suggest the
>symbols "role" & "relation" as representing foundational concepts.
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: ontac-dev-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>[mailto:ontac-dev-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Smith, Barry
>Sent: Wednesday, January 18, 2006 4:35 PM
>To: ONTAC Taxonomy-Ontology Development Discussion
>Subject: RE: [ontac-dev] Type vs. Class et al. -- 'Term'?
>
>At 07:13 PM 1/18/2006, you wrote:
> >I have asked for an alternative to "concept" for a broadly applicable
> >term to refer to the elements in an ontology:
>
>If an ontology is, roughly, a graph-theoretic structure, then it has
>two kinds of elements, nodes and vertices. For these elements I
>suggest the terms 'term' and 'relation'.
>
> >[PC] >I need a term that means "a class or relation or function or
> >instance
> > >or metaclass or function term or axiom or procedural rule or attached
> > >method or any other element that we would want to put into an ontology
> > >that represents some element of meaning, as distinct from the actual
> > >things in the world to which they refer and as distinct from the
> > >specific manner in which they happen to be represented." or "some
> > >abstract entity which is represented by symbols in our ontologies, is
> > >intended to correspond in structure to some idea people have about
> > >something or other, and refers to something other than itself".
> > >Does anyone else have a candidate for a general term we should use to
> > >refer to any of the constituent elements of our ontologies?
> >
> >Barry Smith suggests:
> >
> >[BS] >> Term
> >
> >
> >Unfortunately, 'Term' has been very widely used in the sense of
> >'element in a term list', and has been used as closely synonymous with
> >'Word'.
>
>That is a positive advantage.
>
>
> >In the usage I am most familiar with a 'Term' is considered as
> >a label for a specific concept (in the sense above)
>
>A term (word) has a meaning and a referent. I am happy if you use
>'concept' for the meaning of a term; and then I propose that you use
>'type' for the referent.
>
> >and there are many
> >terms that may refer to one Class or Relation in an ontology
> >(synonymy)
>
>A good ontology should include only one term for each type, and only
>one relational expression for each relation; the fact that there are
>synonymous expressions used by outsiders is, indeed, a problem, but
>probably unsolvable in our lifetimes.
>
> >, and one 'Term' may refer to several Classes or relations in
> >an ontology (Ambiguity).
>
>That is the reason why we have definitions.
>BS
>
>
>
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