Re: Evidence

If I may interject, the fact that you need to find a way 'around' 
this illustrates what I have long found to be the case, that the 
continuant/occurrent distinction, and the resulting artificial 
restrictions that it places upon what one is allowed to say, is more 
harm than it is worth. One can take any ontology (such as BFO) that 
is based up on it and simply erase the distinction (and all its 
consequent distinctions) and nothing is thereby lost, only a 
simplification achieved and the need for artificial work-arounds 

diminished. 

 

VK> I think Pat raises a very valid point. I do sense that folks are treating
BFO as "true" and 

sometimes probably trying to shoe-horn their requirements into it. The
scientific method

requires that the various constructs and distinctions of BFO (and for that
matter others such as DOLCE, OpenCyc, etc.)

be evaluated from the use perspective and see if they bring any value in the
context of a real application

probably healthcare and life sciences.

 

BTW, I do not intend to evaluate whether these constructs are ontologically
sound, etc. but the question we need

to answer as a group is: Are these constructs useful?

 

---Vipul

 

=======================================

Vipul Kashyap, Ph.D.

Senior Medical Informatician

Clinical Informatics R&D, Partners HealthCare System

Phone: (781)416-9254

Cell: (617)943-7120

http://www.partners.org/cird/AboutUs.asp?cBox=Staff&stAb=vik

 

To keep up you need the right answers; to get ahead you need the right questions

---John Browning and Spencer Reiss, Wired 6.04.95

 






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