Re: SUO: 21 May 2002 -- Unanswered Questions About SUMO Set Theory
Todd,
There are different opinions on this list. When we wrote the PAR for
this group the intent was to have a standards effort aimed at ontology
content - creating a set of terms and formal definitions. A large number
of people who have joined this group are interested in a different
direction however.
Adam
At 01:42 PM 5/21/2002 -0400, Todd Hughes wrote:
>(This is my first contribution to the list . . . I'm Todd Hughes, and I have
>a keen interest in this area due to my background in philosophy, ontology,
>and R&D software development. Anyway . . .)
>
>John,
>
>It seems to me that you're recommending more of an infrastructure for
>ontology development rather than an ontological infrastructure. Is that
>correct? If so, the obvious question is what the point of SUO is.
>
>Is the point of SUO to come up with, as the name implies, a standard upper
>ontology for the Semantic Web? That is, will SUO decide what general
>concepts will be legitimate for the Semantic Web? Having some experience in
>this area, I know that's a prohibitively difficult task, and I'm skeptical
>that the Internet community at large will be eager to embrace such an
>ontology.
>
>On the other hand, is the point of SUO to make decisions about the form of
>that ontology, whatever it turns out it be? By this, I mean deciding such
>things as whether the language of the Semantic Web should be DL or FOL, what
>kinds of reasoning (subsumption, transitive, temporal, etc.) should be
>possible over the Semantic Web, where such reasoning should be performed
>(client or server side), and so on.
>
>Your message underscores the need to distinguish between, as I called them,
>the infrastructure for ontology development and the ontology infrastructure
>for the Semantic Web. I agree with you (and Bill Anderson) that our efforts
>are better spent on the former rather than the latter.
>
>Forgive me if this ground has already been trammeled in other discussions.
>I'm just interested in the question of SUO's proper focus, so that I may be
>able to contribute.
>
>Todd
>
>
>
>----------
>Todd Hughes, Ph.D.
>Senior Member, Engineering Staff
>Lockheed Martin Advanced Technology Laboratories
>1 Federal Street, Building A&E-3W
>Camden, NJ 08102
>P: 856.338.3979
>F: 856.338.4144
Adam Pease
Teknowledge
(650) 424-0500 x571