SUO: 14 May 2002 -- IFF Model Theory Ontology 1.0, Request For Comment
¤~~~~~~~~~¤~~~~~~~~~¤~~~~~~~~~¤~~~~~~~~~¤~~~~~~~~~¤
IFF Team,
Well, it's been a week and I haven't been able to
think of anything more astute to say, so I will
just record this comment for what its worth.
¤~~~~~~~~~¤~~~~~~~~~¤~~~~~~~~~¤~~~~~~~~~¤~~~~~~~~~¤
Subj: IFF Model Theory Ontology 1.0, Request For Comment
Date: Thu, 09 May 2002 17:20:48 -0400
From: Jon Awbrey <jawbrey@oakland.edu>
To: Robert E Kent <rekent@ontologos.org>
CC: Jim Farrugia <jim@spatial.maine.edu>,
Leo Obrst <lobrst@mitre.org>
Robert, Jim, Leo,
Re:
| Apart from using set theory or category theory,
| model theory is completely agnostic about the
| kinds of things that exist.
This is just a thing to think about long-term.
I hail from a tradition in category theory
that is suspicious of elements -- this is
not unrelated to Peirce's criticism of
the "doctrine of individuals" and the
general critique of "atomism".
So when people, and it's not just you, of course, make these sorts claims
about ontological agnosticism or ontological neutrality, on the strength
of having any kinds of "individuals" in the universe of the model, but
maintain as a tenet of their formal superstructure a firm distinction
between type/token, predicate/subject, or whatever the local name is --
well, that just rankles my sensitivities. Do you have any sense
of what I mean here?
This is so dicey that I'll leave it off-list for the time being.
And by the way -- Congratulations!
Jon Awbrey
¤~~~~~~~~~¤~~~~~~~~~¤~~~~~~~~~¤~~~~~~~~~¤~~~~~~~~~¤