From newshub.ccs.yorku.ca!ists!helios.physics.utoronto.ca!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!malgudi.oar.net!yfn.ysu.edu!ysub!psuvm!cunyvm!ndsuvm1!moriarty Tue Nov 19 11:10:23 EST 1991
Article 1345 of comp.ai.philosophy:
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Organization: North Dakota Higher Education Computer Network
Date: Friday, 15 Nov 1991 20:40:47 CST
>From: <MORIARTY@NDSUVM1.BITNET>
Message-ID: <91319.204047MORIARTY@NDSUVM1.BITNET>
Newsgroups: comp.ai.philosophy
Subject: Re: Is semiotics an "informal logic"?
References: <1991Nov11.024611.12312@nuscc.nus.sg>
 <LmVaBB1w164w@depsych.Gwinnett.COM> <1991Nov14.065924.29076@nuscc.nus.sg>

"The more technical the writing, the more careful we are to reduce
ambiguity...: writes the gentleman from Singapore.

I agree.  In fact, I would point to this discussion as an example
of the struggle to reduce ambiguity.  When inference, irony, satire,
sarcasm come into play, the NETPOST ETIQUET recommends the use of
the symbol ":-)" as an internationally recongizable smiley that
signals a non-offensive intent.  That's good.  It's also evidence
that the intended tone of these communications can be misconstrued.
That's unfortunate.

But when some of us are scientists and others are logicians and
an ordinary humanist-generalist like myself all come together, the
first area of clarification is the matter of words/lexemes/sememes.

Saussure postulates the existence of a bar between the signifier
and the signified.  Lacan postulates that the signified is constantly
shifting.  Eco holds that the "syncategorematic" (demonstrative?)
signifier is constantly shifting.  I conclude that semiotics is
necessarily a literary endeavor rather than a scientific one.  The
inherent vagueries of discourse were overcome in Ancient Greece by
the mathematicians.  To this day, mathematicians holds that their
formulas are universal.

Should I conclude from these thoughts that semiotics is not useful
to AI?

>LOGOFF.:-)

Michael/email:MORIARTY@NDSUVM1



