Re: Topic :> Dynamics Of Ontologies

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Topic :> Dynamics Of Ontologies 7

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The next thing I need to do is to go back to my initial sketch of the
dynamics of inquiry and gradually begin to refine it, adding a number
of critical details before I continue.  Here is Figure 1 as I drew it:

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|                                                           |
|                              Induction                    |
|                 Model  3<----------------->1  Phenomenon  |
|                       ^                 < ^               |
|                      ^               <   ^                |
|                     ^             <     ^                 |
|                    ^           <       ^                  |
|        Deduction  ^     Abduction     ^  Deduction        |
|                  ^       <           ^                    |
|                 ^     <             ^                     |
|                ^   <               ^                      |
|               ^ <                 ^                       |
|  Expressed  2<----------------->4  Implicit               |
|  Theory         Clarification      Knowledge              |
|                                                           |
o-----------------------------------------------------------o
Figure 1.  Dynamics of Inquiry

In reflecting on what the Figure portrays about the inquiry situation,
it may be observed that the Phenomenon itself is not really a part of
the formal picture in quite so literal a fashion, but that it impacts
the actual course of inquiry only by dint of the far more limited and
mediate amounts of descriptive data that we happen to extract from it.

Figure 2 shows how I will revise my picture of the
dynamics of inquiry in accord with this reflection.

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|                                                           |
|                           Phenomenon                      |
|                                o                          |
|                                 >                         |
|                                  >                        |
|                                   >                       |
|                               Observation                 |
|                                     >                     |
|                                      >                    |
|                                       >                   |
|                                        >    Descriptive   |
|                            Induction    >   Data          |
|       Initial Model  3<----------------->1  =             |
|                     ^                 < ^   Ideal         |
|                    ^               <   ^    Model         |
|                   ^             <     ^                   |
|                  ^           <       ^                    |
|      Deduction  ^     Abduction     ^  Deduction          |
|                ^       <           ^                      |
|               ^     <             ^                       |
|              ^   <               ^                        |
|             ^ <                 ^                         |
|   Initial  2<----------------->4  Ideal                   |
|   Theory       Clarification      Theory                  |
|                                                           |
o-----------------------------------------------------------o
Figure 2.  Dynamics of Inquiry

As indicated in Figure 2, it is observation that connects the
phenomenon in question with the descriptive data that need to
be explained.  Accordingly, the ideal model, that is, the set
of interpretations that satisfy the ideal theory, matches the
features of the descriptive data set.

Jon Awbrey

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