Re: Topic :> Dynamics Of Ontologies

o~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~o

Topic :> Dynamics Of Ontologies 9

o~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~o

Visible Inquiry (cont.)

A phenomenon presents itself in the world at large and exhibits
some quality or other that attracts our attention.  At first we
simply observe the phenomenon and collect some data, perhaps in
an informal way, perhaps more formally.  Speaking very broadly,
we may describe this activity as "observation" and think of it
as forming a link from the phenomenon in question to a growing
set of descriptive data.  Figure 2.1 shows where this process
falls on the map that was previously sketched in Figure 2.

o-----------------------------------------------------------o
|                                                           |
|                           Phenomenon                      |
|                                o                          |
|                                 >                         |
|                                  >                        |
|                                   >                       |
|                               Observation                 |
|                                     >                     |
|                                      >                    |
|                                       >                   |
|                                        >    Descriptive   |
|                                         >   Data          |
|                                          1                |
|                                                           |
|                                                           |
|                                                           |
|                                                           |
|                                                           |
|                                                           |
|                                                           |
|                                                           |
|                                                           |
|                                                           |
|                                                           |
|                                                           |
o-----------------------------------------------------------o
Figure 2.1.  Dynamics of Inquiry -- Observation

Many a phenomenon that attracts our notice will do so because of
some problematic quality that it has for us.  It may surprise us,
or unsettle us, or upset us in any one of a numberless legion of
different ways, but generally speaking we find ourselves incited
to some sort of action that will settle the account, at times by
finding an explanation that reduces the quality of surprise, and
at times by finding a plan of action that resolves the upsetting
quality of the objective reality that makes its appearance to us
in the form of the problematic phenomenon.  Whatever activity we
undertake, it will usually depend for its rationality on finding
an explanation and perhaps even forming a theory of the laws and
principles that govern the phenomenon.  This process of guessing
at explanations has generally been referred to as "abduction" or
as "abductive reasoning" by logicians, philosophers, and others
from Aristotle to C.S. Peirce and on to the contemporary scene.
Figure 2.2 traces the steps that we've passed through so far.

o-----------------------------------------------------------o
|                                                           |
|                           Phenomenon                      |
|                                o                          |
|                                 >                         |
|                                  >                        |
|                                   >                       |
|                               Observation                 |
|                                     >                     |
|                                      >                    |
|                                       >                   |
|                                        >    Descriptive   |
|                                         >   Data          |
|                                          1                |
|                                       <                   |
|                                    <                      |
|                                 <                         |
|                              <                            |
|                       Abduction                           |
|                        <                                  |
|                     <                                     |
|                  <                                        |
|               <                                           |
|   Initial  2                                              |
|   Theory                                                  |
|                                                           |
o-----------------------------------------------------------o
Figure 2.2.  Dynamics of Inquiry -- Abduction

Jon Awbrey

o~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~o
http://www.cs.bsu.edu/homepages/mighty/history.html
o~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~o