Definition
What is definition? How should it be defined?
It is non-controversial that definitions play a central role in any belief system, for after all propositions make use of terms which often have definitions. Some propositions attempt to provide a definition of a term. Thus, it is important to have a coherent notion of definition, i.e. a definition of definition.
In the scientonomic context, this question was first formulated by Hakob Barseghyan in 2018. The question is currently accepted as a legitimate topic for discussion by Scientonomy community. Definition (Barseghyan-2018) is currently accepted by Scientonomy community as the best available definition of the term. It is defined as: "A statement of the meaning of a term."
Contents
Scientonomic History
Acceptance Record
Community | Accepted From | Acceptance Indicators | Still Accepted | Accepted Until | Rejection Indicators |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Scientonomy | 8 October 2018 | The question became accepted as legitimate with the publication of Barseghyan's Redrafting the Ontology of Scientific Change. | Yes |
All Theories
Theory | Formulation | Formulated In |
---|---|---|
Definition (Barseghyan-2018) | A statement of the meaning of a term. | 2018 |
Accepted Theories
Community | Theory | Accepted From | Accepted Until |
---|---|---|---|
Scientonomy | Definition (Barseghyan-2018) | 1 September 2019 |
Suggested Modifications
Modification | Community | Date Suggested | Summary | Verdict | Verdict Rationale | Date Assessed |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Sciento-2018-0007 | Scientonomy | 8 October 2018 | Accept the definition of definition as a statement of the meaning of a term. | Accepted | The consensus on this modification emerged primarily off-line. It was agreed that whether or not "definitions can have a truth value" is irrelevant to this modification and that "the question of most relevance to scientonomy is whether definitions can be accepted or not accepted by an epistemic agent".c1 It was also noted that the consensus concerning this modification "has manifested on several occasions, including the first scientonomy conference in May 2019 in Toronto."c2 | 1 September 2019 |
Current Definition
In Scientonomy, the accepted definition of the term is Definition (Barseghyan-2018).
Definition (Barseghyan-2018) states: "A statement of the meaning of a term."
This somewhat simplistic definition of definition is meant to highlight that definitions are themselves theories (statements, propositions). As a result, any stance that can be taken by epistemic agents towards theories can also be taken towards definitions.
Ontology
Existence
There is currently no accepted view concerning the existence of definitions.
Disjointness
No classes are currently accepted as being disjoint with this class.
Subtypes
In Scientonomy, there are currently no accepted subtypes of Definition.
Supertypes
In Scientonomy, the following supertype of Definition is currently accepted:
Associations
No associations of a definition are currently accepted.
Epistemic Stances Towards Definitions
The question has no accepted answer.
If a question concerning the ontology of a definition is missing, please add it here.
Dynamics
Necessary Definitions
The question has no accepted answer.
If a question concerning the dynamics of a definition is missing, please add it here.