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Article 1308 of comp.ai.philosophy:
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>From: kurt@diku.dk (Kurt M. Alonso)
Newsgroups: comp.ai.philosophy
Subject: Re: Semantics in Semantic Networks
Message-ID: <1991Nov14.112213.27802@odin.diku.dk>
Date: 14 Nov 91 11:22:13 GMT
References: <1991Nov12.190138.2729@vax.oxford.ac.uk> <2VqcBB1w164w@depsych.Gwinnett.COM>
Sender: kurt@rimfaxe.diku.dk
Organization: Department of Computer Science, U of Copenhagen
Lines: 38

rc@depsych.Gwinnett.COM (Richard Carlson) writes:

>mc703@vax.oxford.ac.uk writes:
>> For what it's worth I agree entirely about precise semantic models; I think
>> Tarskian truth-conditional semantics and its descendents (cf the Davidson of
>> "Radical Interpretation" etc) are overvalued.  Frege, I submit, never intende
>> his formal logic to be used for a theory of meaning for natural language - it
>> was Russell who started the rot :-).  There are good reasons why logic is a b
>> tool for the job, and the result is that we are nowhere near a "theory of
>> meaning" either in philosophy or in AI.  The Wittgenstein of the Philosophisc
>> Untersuchungen is a lot more interesting in my opinion - a theory of language
>> without truth-conditional semantics.

>Wouldn't a "structuralist" perspective (based on Saussure) be more
>natural to semantic networks than an "analytical" one (based on
>Russell)?


I agree with you. One would tend to think that the whole idea of
semantic networks ought to be based on saussurian linguistics.
Anyway, I have actually seen this idea implemented in a couple of
european research projects. I don't have the references handy,
but I think I could dig them up if you wish.


>Did your respondents perceive themselves as doing semiotics or
>anything like semiotics?

>What programming languages are used to create semantic networks?

>--
>Richard Carlson        |    rc@depsych.gwinnett.com
>Midtown Medical Center |    gatech!emory!gwinnett!depsych!rc
>Atlanta, Georgia       |
>(404) 881-6877         |


Kurt.


