Re: How will the semantic web emerge

sauerkrautragout.13358628@bloglines.com wrote:

> And imo OWL and other formalisms fosters hierarchical attitudes
> not because computer scientist have authoritarian personalities, but because
> over centuries this has proven to be a good approach to structure domain knowledge.

A main problem with such imposed hierarchies is that what almost 
inevitably happens is that you get a lot of maps with no corresponding 
territories. We come to "believe in" stuff like diagnoses backed mostly 
by authority in medicine.The effects on the practice of medicine 
engendered by a theory based on "balancing the four humors" and 
extensive dependence on blood-letting is but one example.

The "faith-based" ways of dealing with structure are onerous largely 
because their  efficacy depends on enforcement rather than agreed-upon 
analytic methodology.

That hierarchies are "evil" is corollary to ontologies deserving the 
same descriptor. Nothing does more to confuse the name with that which 
is named than to codify it - usually needlessly. Names are but strings 
used for temporary convenience.

Love.

Received on Friday, 16 December 2005 18:43:46 UTC