Re: Conceptual Graphs, N3, RDF, Semantic Web

While I do indeed claim the right to declare the use of
a word to local to myself or a message, in fact in this case
I think my use is consistent with the use in the RDF
community, and the RDF Model and Syntax Specification
which, as a W3C Recommendation, has a certain following.
So the Community of Interpretation in this case is fairly large.

My tendency is to give respect to different incompatible
communities of interpretation, of varying sizes, as I feel that
the interaction of many different communities of many sizes
is essential to society.

These messages, though are specifically within the www-rdf-logic list
which is a (relatively) well defined community.  It has a web
address
http://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/www-rdf-logic/
which explicitly links it to
http://www.w3.org/Metadata/
and so to http://www.w3.org/RDF/
http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-rdf-syntax/
which defines RDF and says,

"In order to express this fact to RDF, we have to model the original
statement as a resource with four properties. This process is formally
called ~reification~ in the Knowledge Representation community. A model of a
statement is called a ~reified statement~."

Tim


----- Original Message -----
From: "Jon Awbrey" <jawbrey@oakland.edu>
To: "Tim Berners-Lee" <timbl@w3.org>
Cc: <fmanola@mitre.org>; "RDF Logic" <www-rdf-logic@w3.org>
Sent: Thursday, January 18, 2001 12:48 AM
Subject: Re: Conceptual Graphs, N3, RDF, Semantic Web


> ¤~~~~~~~~~¤~~~~~~~~~¤~~~~~~~~~¤~~~~~~~~~¤~~~~~~~~~¤
>
> Tim Berners-Lee wrote:
> >
> > Thank you, Frank!
> >
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From:  "Frank Manola" <fmanola@mitre.org>
> > Sent:  Wednesday, January 17, 2001 5:45 PM
> > Subj:  Re: Conceptual Graphs, N3, RDF, Semantic Web
> >
> > > I believe the definition of "reification" intended in the
> > > context of RDF is along the lines of McCarthy's, found at
> > >
> > > http://www-formal.stanford.edu/jmc/generality/node6.html
> > > to wit:
> > > [..]
> > > This process of making objects out of sentences and other entities
> > > is called reification.
> >
> > That ws indeed my sense,
> > perhaps not the sense
> > of some philosophers
> > or psychologists,
> > but this is the
> > RDF logic list,
> > and this is the
> > sense in which
> > RDF uses it.
>
> Tim,
>
> What you have just written is extremely instructive --
> once I have found a fitting angle to reflect on it! --
> you indicated yourself, by means of the index "my",
> as being the possessor of the apt and proper sense
> of the sign-spelt-string "reification" in question.
> You asserted your right as a free interpretive agent
> to use this hidebound and intellectually inert object
> to say what you mean to say and to ploy it in the way
> that you see fit.  By way of support for your daring
> act of independence from the conventions and party
> lines of others to create your own conventions and
> to throw your own parties, you wisely adverted to
> your local "community of interpretation" (COI),
> which the actuality of your own person indexes,
> and which, in turn, establishes the context of
> your acts of meaning just what you mean within.
> Was there a hint of insinuation or intimation that
> this one: this community, this context, this sense,
> is a cut above, or at least a cut apart, from the
> many COI mistresses pursued by the other suitors?
>
> In doing all this, you do what is perfectly natural
> and quite understandable, and I support with my life
> and my sacred honor your right to do so -- and yet,
> to be fair, I must do the same for every other one
> who has the sense to use signs, or might some day,
> some way.  And so how will I keep track of it all?
> AI!  There's the rub!
>
> > (In N3, if
> >
> > :sky :color :blue  .
> >
> > is the "sentence", then
> >
> > { :sky :color :blue }
> >
> > is the "object".
> >
> > In the RDF model, this is represented by a set of sentences which
describe it.)
>
> I am still at the beginning of trying to learn your language ...
>
> > I obviously have gone to the wrong
> > cocktail parties, not having seen
> > the word being used to impress
> > the impressoinable ;-)
>
> Oh, I was just talking about a host
> of other people that I once knew --
> If the sloe gin don't fizz,
> don't drink it ...
>
> Cheers, hic et nunc,
>
> Jon Awbrey
>
> ¤~~~~~~~~~¤~~~~~~~~~¤~~~~~~~~~¤~~~~~~~~~¤~~~~~~~~~¤
>

Received on Tuesday, 23 January 2001 17:48:57 UTC