RE: SUO: On the supreme supertype
Dear John,
I also think entity is probably the best choice. In EPISTLE we use thing
because entity is a reserved word in the EXPRESS language (meaning entity
type) so we had to use something else.
But I'm not precious about names, provided the usage is defined. Although I
prefer not to use terms that have a somewhat different popular meaning than
that which is defined.
Regards
Matthew
============================================
Matthew West
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> -----Original Message-----
> From: John F. Sowa [mailto:sowa@bestweb.net]
> Sent: 20 February 2001 13:55
> To: Aldo Gangemi; Philip Jackson; standard-upper-ontology@ieee.org
> Subject: Re: SUO: On the supreme supertype
>
>
>
> In mathematics, there is another tradition that solves this
> problem: the two "thumbtack symbols". The top one looks like
> a san-serif letter T, and the bottom one looks like an upside
> down T. Those are the two symbols used for the top and bottom
> of a lattice, and those are the ones that I used for the top
> and bottom of all the lattices in my 1984 book and my 2000 book.
>
> Those symbols have the advantage of being language-neutral,
> international, and traditional in mathematics. The primary
> objection is that many people wanted a pronounceable word
> for them. So I suggested Entity as a synonym for T, which
> is much more international than "thing".
>
> >>On further thought, I'd like to suggest a different
> possible name for the
>
> >>supreme supertype, other than "thing" or "entity" which seem to be
> >>traditional...
> >>
> >>Perhaps a better word for the supreme supertype could be
> "referent", meaning
>
> >>that which can be referenced.
>
> The word "referent" is already widely used for a particular
> that is being referred to in any particular sentence. It would
> be confusing to use it for the supreme universal of all
> universals.
>
> An even more traditional term is "Supreme Genus", which has
> been used for over 600 years for the top level of the Tree
> of Porphyry.
>
> But I would suggest the more neutral T. Those people who feel
> a need to verbalize it can say "top type".
>
> John Sowa
>