Re: reification test case

From: "Seth Russell" <seth@robustai.net>
Subject: Re: reification test case
Date: Wed, 6 Feb 2002 10:27:42 -0800

[...]

> > > <rdf:description>
> > > <rdf:type>:Statement</rdf:type>
> > > <rdf:subject>:Gore</rdf:subject>
> > > <rdf:predicate>:wonThe</rdf:predicate>
> > [ <rdf:object>:election</rdf:object> ]
> > > <log:truthValue>False</log:truthValue>
> > > </rdf:description>
> > >
> > > which holds for all such statings.
> > >
> > > But I could also write:
> > >
> > > <rdf:description>
> > > <rdf:type>:Statement</rdf:type>
> > > <rdf:subject>:Gore</rdf:subject>
> > > <rdf:predicate>:wonThe</rdf:predicate>
> > > <dc:author>:Seth</dc:author>
> > > <log:truthValue>False</log:truthValue>
> > > </rdf:description>
> > >
> > > which holds for a smaller collection of statings.
> >
> > HUH?  What is the difference here?  How do you distinguish between these
> > two uses?  As far as I can see both resources have equivalent status as
> far
> > as RDF is concerned.
> 
> Did you miss the extra restraint <dc:author>:Seth</dc:author> in the latter
> case ?

No, but I certainly didn't see anything to indicate that the first is about
a statement and the second about a stating.

> Do the following two nodes refer to the same thing or "have equivalent
> status as far as RDF is concerned" ?
> 
> [a :Book; title "Knowledge Representation"; dc:author "John F. Sowa"]
> [a :Book; title "Knowledge Representation"; dc:author "John F. Sowa";
> :ownedBy "Seth Russell" ; :sittingOn :MyDesk]

They don't necessarily refer to the same thing, but they certainly have the
same status.  RDF knows nothing about :ownedBy or :sittingOn that causes
the first resource to have to refer to a book (as in a title) and the
second to have to refer to a book (as in a physical collection of paper
sheets bound together).  Do you think that it has?  Do you think that this
situation is any different from the situation with the two resources
earlier in this message?

> Seth Russell

Peter F. Patel-Schneider
Bell Labs Research

Received on Wednesday, 6 February 2002 14:13:27 UTC