FROLIO – Formalizable Relationship-Oriented Language-Insensitive Ontology

Welcome to FROLIO – a new attempt to merge philosophy and the "semantic web". This website is continually under construction - please send suggestions for improvements to the author.

Relationship Major Category Introduction - "Representation"

General Meaning

In this relationship category we assume we are looking at something in the real world, e.g. things, humans, concepts, processes or states of affairs, and are trying to find a model or "sign" (placeholder or surrogate if you like) which represents it, e.g. for purposes of communication, research, experiment etc. The category icons ) like the one below are an example.

Category Icon

The icon represents an artist with a picture - it looks as if it could be a self-portrait. The purpose of Representation is to communicate something in terms that can be understood by other humans (and maybe some animals - e.g. dog whistles, instructions to a horse, rattling pots and pans to deter grizzly bears etc).

Relationship Role Diagram (for key to the letter codes click here)

The A role shows the representation, for example spoken or written words, visual display, diagrams, mathematical or logical formulae and physical models. An additional A role (the name tag above the top left) is a Name or "ID"; this represents the identification of individuals in a class. The B role is what is being represented; the examples here show an Idea or Thought; an Activity or Process, or any Concrete or Abstract Thing. The C role is the medium - the icon shows sound, music, photography and moving picture - normal speech, writing, typing, drawing, painting, sculpture, gesture etc would also be included. Some media may be compound (e.g. opera (acting and music), a sound and light show, or the business presentation in the top left of the table. The tools in role I would include human voice, typewriters, musical instruments, loudspeakers. The processes M could include computer systems, musical composition, artistic processes etc.

A	A	C	B	B
A				B
I			M
P				Z
	T	X	Y

Relationship Types in this Category

The relationship types in this category share many similarities. Their purpose may determine how "realistic" or "expressive" the representation is, for example whether it is meant to appeal to the intellect or the emotions.

The first sub-category is identification, code “Ri”:

is a name of - the name A is a language element for the thing B, to distinguish it from other things. This can apply to members of a class, or classes within superclasses. It implies Distinguishing - i.e. that we can tell one instance from another.

The next sub-category is delegate or surrogate, code “Rd”:

is a representative for - one thing A represents another, but is not the original B. One could say that the word "God" is a representative of the spirit of Good.
is an agent for - this applies to the human situation where A is a “go-between” or “proxy”. All employees, lawyers, soldiers and “agents” are agents of their “principals” - who may be either individuals or groups such as companies, taxpayers etc. A "Prime Minister" is certainly an agent, whether of the electorate or an autocratic ruler.

The next sub-category is expression, code “Re”:

is articulation of - a thought B is expressed in signals A, e.g. words, symbols, signs, gestures. Musical notation could be included here.
is depiction of something in - or “nearer to” what individuals or groups can observe, e.g. a painting, photograph, caricature. However the depiction may say more about the author's feelings about what is observed, rather than an attempt to be realistic or unbiased. Includes everything from cave paintings to fine art.
is a translation of - another set of symbols that use a different convention, e.g. a different spoken language
is a parable for, is an analogy for - a story involving different things that is easier to understand
is a paraphrase of - another set of symbols - this might overlap with reasoning, however if a fairly mechanical procedure is followed, one might regard it as a simple representation. There might be a presumption that no “spin” is applied.
is a spin on similar to paraphrase, but possibly with “multimedia” symbols and following the agenda of the author determining the spin - usually to influence others to do certain things or to think in a certain way.

The next sub-category is notation, code “Rn”:

is a measurement of some observation or judgment (by human or robot). A numerical or text value represents the intensity of the sensation or observation. What we note is one stage removed from what is “actually” happening; a colour blind person may have a different model of a coloured sight than others. A numerical value could arise from simple counting, use of a tool (e.g. a ruler or meter), and could involve a process.
is recording of a process - a musical performance on CD (role A) represents the original concert or studio performance B. Movie films are clearly recordings with a complex structure. A log of scientific readings could also count as a recording.
is a memory of - something that we actually experience or learnt, but it may be inaccurate or "bent" by subsequent agendas

The final sub-category is modelling, code “Rm”:

is a model of a process or state of affairs that is “nearer to real life” (i.e. derives from human observation or sensation) than the model. Examples could include toy soldiers, wind tunnels in aircraft design, mock-ups of new designs, dolls - all the way to mathematical equations and computer models. Even numbers and simple arithmetic are models that represent our wish to count things.

Note: to some extent, all expression or notation relationships could we subsumed under modelling.

Examples

Identification
The name of the manager of this department is "John Smith". Lola is the name of the girl with the red mini-dress. “Fascism” is a name for certain political systems (presumably some conditions apply!).

Delegate
Fred Bloggs is the representative of the electors of the Hartley electorate. Apollo in Roman mythology was the representative of the sun. Models of air force squadrons are used in a command centre to represent real airplanes dispatched in a war.

Expression
My sighing is an articulation of my current world-weariness. My statement to the police is an articulation of what I saw happen last night in Prospect Road. "Laughing Cavalier" is a painting depicting an actual laughing cavalier many years ago. A cubist painting may depict Bracque's emotions about goodness knows what. The Penguin Atlas of World History is a translation of DTV-Atlas zur Weltgeschichte. Numbers are an analogy for counting of objects on the fingers of our hands (suitably extended!). An articulation of today's air quality is "moderate but humid". I will try to paraphrase what the politician just said in words of one syllable. The government speaker's statement is a spin on the situation the interviewer asked about, depicting the government as infallible. The opposition's statement is a spin on what the government just announced, depicting them as total idiots.

Notation
My cholesterol level was measured as 5.5. Average student satisfaction with the Systems Design course was measured at 3.4. My CD of Glen Miller is a recording of a concert the band gave in 1943. This is the log of the Starship Enterprise. An anonymous respondent to the survey recorded his marital status as "single" and recorded an answer of "no" to the question "do you own your own house?". "My Life and Loves" is a memory of the experiences of Frank Harris (probably grossly exaggerated!).

Modelling
My cousin makes models of US warships. Newton's laws are a model of (within limits) the movement of objects under gravity and other forces. My Excel spreadsheet Finances.xls is a model of my financial situation. Elle Macpherson is a model forwhat ladies might look like if dressed in certain clothes (some hopes!).

A few extra comments on Measurement

What is measured could be an actual observation at the time, an analysis of a recording, an estimate of a future state of affairs. The value can be a number (whole [e.g. a count], fractional or decimal), a name or string of characters, bits or symbols (including pictures and sounds), a yes/no - or maybe - value, a “don't know” indication, or a “does not apply” indication). Measurement proper implies having some scale and/or units, and usually a measuring tool. Judgment requires a human opinion.

Measurement means trying to assess various different observable events or states by reference to a common scale of number or other values. It relates to the propensity of humans to "bean counting", which has its uses - sometimes! Accuracy is often an issue. Measurements are also intrinsically author-dependent; the author influence can recur at multiple stages of the measuring process, e.g. installing or applying the meters, reading the meters (if done manually), transcribing and reporting.

Links to other Categories (these cross-links now fixed!)

Arrangement is in some order with	Classification is a	Distinguishing is different from	Interaction communicates with
Logic is deduction from	Motivation is motivated by	Partitioning is part of	Representation represents
Sensation is experienced by	Transformation is changed from	Utility is useful for	Volition is wanted by