From Conceptualization to Ontology
Project Summary
This project traces a philosophical trajectory from extensional mathematical descriptions to intensional conceptualizations and formal ontologies. The investigation begins with von Bertalanffy’s recognition of the fundamental limitation of purely extensional relational structures: their inability to distinguish between intrinsic systemic properties and mere accidental aggregations (Bertalanffy, 1968).
Following Backlund’s critique of existing system definitions (Backlund, 2000), which argues that many common definitions fail to be sufficiently exclusive or properly capture the essence of systemhood, the project adopts Mesarovic and Takahara’s rigorous set-theoretic formalization (Mesarovic & Takahara, 1975). Their framework provides the mathematical substrate for moving beyond extensional snapshots toward conceptualizations that capture what is invariant across possible world states.
The central philosophical question emerges: How do we formalize the transition from mathematical descriptions of specific system states to general conceptualizations that encompass all possible states, and finally to ontological commitments suitable for computational reasoning? This investigation synthesizes insights from formal ontology and systems theory to address the relationship between extensional relational structures, intensional conceptualizations, ontological commitments, and intended-models.
References
Backlund2000a
The definition of system
Alexander Backlund (2000)
View in Zotero Library | DOI: 10.1108/03684920010322055
Bertalanffy1968
General system theory: foundations, development, applications
Ludwig von Bertalanffy (2009)
Mesarovic1975
General systems theory: mathematical foundations
Mihajlo D. Mesarović, Yasuhiko Takahara (1975)