RE: Denotation of URIs

> > The only reason anyone might object to that would be if there was
> > already a widespread understanding that
> > <http://www.whitehouse.gov/#43> denotes "The 43rd President of the
> > U.S."
>
> But even so, one might want to argue that "The 43rd President of the U.S."
> is not George W. Bush.  Requiring a common, fixed denotation for all URI
> references would eliminate this possibility.  (Unless, of course,
> you meant
> that there was some sort of intensional denotation here.)

There is a difference between the concept "43rd President of the U.S." and
the concept (oh if he were only a concept...) of "George W. Bush", and that
those two things are the same.

Identifying <http://www.whitehouse.gov/#43> with the former concept does not
prevent us from saying that Gore is 43rd President. However the band would
start playing before you finished your speech...

Received on Friday, 4 April 2003 07:13:58 UTC