Re: [jboske] Ontology #3

["Jorge Llambias" <jjllambias@hotmail.com>]

If I understand correctly, you define:

hole(a,P): neither a nor any bit of a is P
atom(a,P): a is P and for any split of a at most one bit of a is P.
substance(a,P): a is P, some bit of a is P and no bit of a is P-atom.
group(a,P): anything else.

You then conclude:
> However, unlike a hole, a group does contain a bit of which P
> holds, since it contains an atom.

But the definition allows for groups that don't contain atoms.
For example, something that is not P but has some bit that is
P-substance.

To be more concrete: Take the property "... is a solid cube".
Then a solid sphere would be a group: It is not a hole
because some bits of it are solid cubes. It is not an atom,
clearly. It is not a substance because it is not a solid cube.
Therefore it must be a group. Yet it contains no atoms of
solid cube.

Probably you don't want substances to necessarily be P, just
have some bit that is P and no bit that is P-atom. Then the
solid sphere would be a substance with respect to "...is a
solid cube".

mu'o mi'e xorxes


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