[SCL] naming ontologies

[Bill Andersen]

Hi Pat...

I'm glad you're thinking about this because it's an important subject.  
However, Chris wrote a paper for ECAI 2002 (attached) 
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on Ontology Theory, which covers what you're trying to provide a syntax 
for below and more.  There's a conflict between the view there and the 
view you present - namely that ontologies do not consist of sentences 
but rather propositions, which seems to be what you're hinting at here:

> The meaning of this notation is that the name denotes this set in all 
> satisfying interpretations: this requires that the universe admits 
> things called 'sets of sentences' which as far as the semantics are 
> concerned can be thought of simply as functions from interpretations 
> to truthvalues, i.e. as propositions, which we can treat as a 
> primitive semantic category (like strings and integers). So if 
> 'ex:ont' is such a URI then it makes sense to write something like 
> I(J('ex:ont')) = true where I and J are SCL interpretations.

In general, I think it's getting hard enough just to get the MT and 
syntax straight for *one* set of sentences that would denote an 
'ontology' (quotes because Chris has a formal definition of what 
constitutes one).  Now, you're introducing a whole new set of 
machinery.

Not that I object in principle.  Someone has got to try eventually to 
do this and I applaud the effort, but isn't this draining energy away 
from hitting the 25-meter target - getting the basic SCL stuff right 
and settled upon quickly?

Once that's done, I'll be 110% behind doing what you suggest and let me 
also suggest - although I'll let Chris speak for himself on this - that 
we use Chris' paper as a starting point to get the ideas right and then 
figure out where the ontological hooks are to hang the syntax off of.

   .bill

--
Bill Andersen (andersen at ontologyworks.com)
Chief Scientist
Ontology Works, Inc. (www.ontologyworks.com)
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