]> 2008/06/10 OpenCyc Knowledge Base Copyright© 2001-2008 Cycorp, Inc., http://www.cyc.com/, Austin, TX, USA This file contains an OWL representation of information contained in the OpenCyc Knowledge Base. The content of this OWL file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 license whose text can be found at http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/legalcode. The content of this OWL file, including the OpenCyc content it represents, constitutes the "Work" referred to in the Creative Commons license. The terms of this license equally apply to, without limitation, renamings and other logically equivalent reformulations of the content of this OWL file (or portions thereof) in any natural or formal language, as well as to derivations of this content or inclusion of it in other ontologies. externalID A unique, language-neutral, variable-sized identifier for a concept that can be used to refer unambiguously to that concept across OWL exports or across Cyc inference engines. label A natural-language representation for a concept that is both human readable and readable by the Cyc inference engine. These terms are not guaranteed to refer to the same concept across time but are guaranteed to be consistent within a particular OWL export. Use 'cycAnnot:externalID' for unambiguously referring to a concept across OWL exports or across Cyc inference engines. signifies A very general signification or representation predicate. (<a href="http://sw.opencyc.org/2008/06/10/concept/en/signifies" class="cyc_term">signifies</a> SIGNIFIER SIGNIFIED) means that the <a href="http://sw.opencyc.org/2008/06/10/concept/en/Thing" class="cyc_term">Thing</a> SIGNIFIED is signified by the <a href="http://sw.opencyc.org/2008/06/10/concept/en/Individual" class="cyc_term">Individual</a> SIGNIFIER. That is, SIGNIFIER somehow represents, refers to, denotes, or depicts SIGNIFIED. As an instance of <a href="http://sw.opencyc.org/2008/06/10/concept/en/Thing" class="cyc_term">Thing</a>, SIGNIFIED can be anything. SIGNIFIER can be almost anything, although it is most often a word, phrase, description, string, image or symbol. Note that this predicate does not state to whom SIGNIFIER represents SIGNIFIED; that is some assumed 'interpreter' or 'community of interpreters' in the given context, and it is left implicit by this binary predicate. In order to mention explicitly the interpreter or agent to whom SIGNIFIER means SIGNIFIED, use the ternary predicate (<a href="http://sw.opencyc.org/2008/06/10/concept/en/signifiesTo" class="cyc_term">signifiesTo</a> SIGNIFIER SIGNIFIED AGENT). Often there is a convention (intersubjective understanding and agreement) by which one thing represents another, such as the word 'Dogs' referring (in English) to dogs, or the abstract tetrahedron referring to the element Fire in <a href="http://sw.opencyc.org/2008/06/10/concept/en/Alchemy" class="cyc_term">Alchemy</a>. A pile of three rocks on a path can signify 'danger ahead' and the number thirteen can signify bad luck (such signification is sometimes called "symbolic".) But there need be no specific convention; deer tracks in the sand can signify the deer (such signification is sometimes called "indexical"), and a picture or photograph may signify whatever it is a picture of (such signification is sometimes called "iconic"), in both cases without any prior convention or agreement. An important specialization of this predicate is <a href="http://sw.opencyc.org/2008/06/10/concept/en/denotes" class="cyc_term">denotes</a>, which restricts SIGNIFIER to instances of <a href="http://sw.opencyc.org/2008/06/10/concept/en/CycLExpression" class="cyc_term">CycLExpression</a>, and the relationship between SIGNIFIER and SIGNIFIED to that of denoting (i.e. directly referring to). connotation Mx4rvX_fqJwpEbGdrcN5Y29ycA Symbol Denotes (<a href="http://sw.opencyc.org/2008/06/10/concept/en/symbolDenotes" class="cyc_term">symbolDenotes</a> SYMBOL THING) means that SYMBOL denotes THING. symbolDenotes A <a href="http://sw.opencyc.org/2008/06/10/concept/en/MetaLanguagePredicate" class="cyc_term">MetaLanguagePredicate</a> (q.v.) that relates <a href="http://sw.opencyc.org/2008/06/10/concept/en/CycLDenotationalTerm" class="cyc_term">CycLDenotationalTerm</a> to their denotata: the things in the intended model of the CycL language that those terms denote or stand for. <code>(<a href="http://sw.opencyc.org/2008/06/10/concept/en/denotes" class="cyc_term">denotes</a> TERM THING)</code> means that <code>TERM</code> denotes <code>THING</code>. <code>TERM</code> will often be explicitly quoted, by being wrapped in the syncategorematic quotation symbol '<a href="http://sw.opencyc.org/2008/06/10/concept/en/Quote" class="cyc_term">Quote</a>'. For example, the true sentence '(<a href="http://sw.opencyc.org/2008/06/10/concept/en/denotes" class="cyc_term">denotes</a> (<a href="http://sw.opencyc.org/2008/06/10/concept/en/Quote" class="cyc_term">Quote</a> <a href="http://sw.opencyc.org/2008/06/10/concept/en/Plato" class="cyc_term">Plato</a>) <a href="http://sw.opencyc.org/2008/06/10/concept/en/Plato" class="cyc_term">Plato</a>)' means that the CycL term '<a href="http://sw.opencyc.org/2008/06/10/concept/en/Plato" class="cyc_term">Plato</a>' denotes the person <a href="http://sw.opencyc.org/2008/06/10/concept/en/Plato" class="cyc_term">Plato</a>. (Thus <a href="http://sw.opencyc.org/2008/06/10/concept/en/denotes" class="cyc_term">denotes</a>'s first argument-place is not "implicitly quoted"; cf. <a href="http://sw.opencyc.org/2008/06/10/concept/en/quotedArgument" class="cyc_term">quotedArgument</a>). But note that the first argument of <a href="http://sw.opencyc.org/2008/06/10/concept/en/denotes" class="cyc_term">denotes</a> might not be quoted at all. Suppose (e.g.) that the term '<a href="http://sw.opencyc.org/2008/06/10/concept/en/Plato" class="cyc_term">Plato</a>' were the CycL constant most beloved of <a href="http://sw.opencyc.org/2008/06/10/concept/en/Cyclist" class="cyc_term">Cyclist</a>s, and that a new constant 'CyclistsFavoriteConstant' were reified and defined so as to reflect this fact. Then 'CyclistsFavoriteConstant' would refer to the CycL constant '<a href="http://sw.opencyc.org/2008/06/10/concept/en/Plato" class="cyc_term">Plato</a>', which in turn denotes the man Plato; and so the sentence '(<a href="http://sw.opencyc.org/2008/06/10/concept/en/denotes" class="cyc_term">denotes</a> CyclistsFavoriteConstant <a href="http://sw.opencyc.org/2008/06/10/concept/en/Plato" class="cyc_term">Plato</a>)' -- which involves no quotation -- would be true. Note also that not all CycL terms denote, not even all <a href="http://sw.opencyc.org/2008/06/10/concept/en/CycLClosedDenotationalTerm" class="cyc_term">CycLClosedDenotationalTerm</a>s (q.v.). For example, the term '(<a href="http://sw.opencyc.org/2008/06/10/concept/en/BorderBetweenFn" class="cyc_term">BorderBetweenFn</a> <a href="http://sw.opencyc.org/2008/06/10/concept/en/Canada" class="cyc_term">Canada</a> <a href="http://sw.opencyc.org/2008/06/10/concept/en/Mexico" class="cyc_term">Mexico</a>)' fails to denote anything (except perhaps in certain counterfactual contexts). Note finally that the sentence '(<a href="http://sw.opencyc.org/2008/06/10/concept/en/denotes" class="cyc_term">denotes</a> <a href="http://sw.opencyc.org/2008/06/10/concept/en/Plato" class="cyc_term">Plato</a> <a href="http://sw.opencyc.org/2008/06/10/concept/en/Plato" class="cyc_term">Plato</a>)' is of course not true, as it means that the man Plato is a CycL term that denotes the man Plato, which is a patent falsehood since no man is a CycL term and no man denotes anything. See also <a href="http://sw.opencyc.org/2008/06/10/concept/en/means" class="cyc_term">means</a>, <a href="http://sw.opencyc.org/2008/06/10/concept/en/expresses" class="cyc_term">expresses</a>, <a href="http://sw.opencyc.org/2008/06/10/concept/en/hasDenotatum" class="cyc_term">hasDenotatum</a>, <a href="http://sw.opencyc.org/2008/06/10/concept/en/quotedIsa" class="cyc_term">quotedIsa</a>, <a href="http://sw.opencyc.org/2008/06/10/concept/en/EscapeQuote" class="cyc_term">EscapeQuote</a>, and the shared #$NoteAboutQuotingInCycL. denotes Denotes (<a href="http://sw.opencyc.org/2008/06/10/concept/en/signalsEvent" class="cyc_term">signalsEvent</a> SIGNAL-EVENT EVENT) means that SIGNAL-EVENT signals the existence or occurrence of EVENT. The type of 'signaling' relation intended here is conventional, i.e., is determined by a convention which dictates that events of one type (i.e., one to which SIGNAL-EVENT belongs) indicate the occurrence of events of another type. (The relevant convention here may be unwritten, limited to a small group of agents, temporary, etc.). For example, the selection of a new pope by the <a href="http://sw.opencyc.org/2008/06/10/concept/en/CollegeOfCardinals" class="cyc_term">CollegeOfCardinals</a> is signaled, in accordance with Church law, by white smoke issuing from the chimney of the <a href="http://sw.opencyc.org/2008/06/10/concept/en/SistineChapel" class="cyc_term">SistineChapel</a>. No temporal order is entailed by this general relation -- SIGNAL-EVENT may signal that EVENT has occurred, will occur, or has started. signal signalsEvent Symbolizes <code>(<a href="http://sw.opencyc.org/2008/06/10/concept/en/symbolizes" class="cyc_term">symbolizes</a> SYMBOL OBJ)</code> means that the <a href="http://sw.opencyc.org/2008/06/10/concept/en/SymbolicObject" class="cyc_term">SymbolicObject</a> <code>SYMBOL</code> represents the <a href="http://sw.opencyc.org/2008/06/10/concept/en/Thing" class="cyc_term">Thing</a> <code>OBJ</code> to some interpreting agent. For example, (<a href="http://sw.opencyc.org/2008/06/10/concept/en/symbolizes" class="cyc_term">symbolizes</a> (<a href="http://sw.opencyc.org/2008/06/10/concept/en/NationalAnthemFn" class="cyc_term">NationalAnthemFn</a> <a href="http://sw.opencyc.org/2008/06/10/concept/en/Canada" class="cyc_term">Canada</a>) <a href="http://sw.opencyc.org/2008/06/10/concept/en/Canada" class="cyc_term">Canada</a>) is true because the Canadian national anthem represents Canada to many interpreters (for example, most Canadian citizens). Note that a given instance of <a href="http://sw.opencyc.org/2008/06/10/concept/en/SymbolicObject" class="cyc_term">SymbolicObject</a> may represent different things to agents in different cultures, so that assertions involving <a href="http://sw.opencyc.org/2008/06/10/concept/en/symbolizes" class="cyc_term">symbolizes</a> can be highly context-dependent. symbolizes portrayal A binary predicate that relates instances of <a href="http://sw.opencyc.org/2008/06/10/concept/en/Image" class="cyc_term">Image</a> to instances of <a href="http://sw.opencyc.org/2008/06/10/concept/en/Thing" class="cyc_term">Thing</a>. <code>(<a href="http://sw.opencyc.org/2008/06/10/concept/en/imageDepicts" class="cyc_term">imageDepicts</a> IMG OBJ)</code> means the object <code>OBJ</code> is depicted by the image <code>IMG</code>. IN this sense, Mount Everest is visually depicted by a photograph of it, and a computer image file storing a photograph of it. imageDepicts thing <a href="http://sw.opencyc.org/2008/06/10/concept/en/Thing" class="cyc_term">Thing</a> is the "universal collection": the collection which, by definition, contains everything there is. Every thing in the Cyc ontology -- every <a href="http://sw.opencyc.org/2008/06/10/concept/en/Individual" class="cyc_term">Individual</a> (of any kind), every <a href="http://sw.opencyc.org/2008/06/10/concept/en/Set_Mathematical" class="cyc_term">Set_Mathematical</a>, and every <a href="http://sw.opencyc.org/2008/06/10/concept/en/Collection" class="cyc_term">Collection</a> -- is an instance of (see <a href="http://sw.opencyc.org/2008/06/10/concept/en/isa" class="cyc_term">isa</a>) <a href="http://sw.opencyc.org/2008/06/10/concept/en/Thing" class="cyc_term">Thing</a>. Similarly, every collection is a subcollection of (see <a href="http://sw.opencyc.org/2008/06/10/concept/en/genls" class="cyc_term">genls</a>) <a href="http://sw.opencyc.org/2008/06/10/concept/en/Thing" class="cyc_term">Thing</a>. Trivially, <a href="http://sw.opencyc.org/2008/06/10/concept/en/Thing" class="cyc_term">Thing</a> is both an instance of and a subcollection of itself, and is not a subcollection of any other collection. (Note that the above reference to "every thing in the Cyc ontology" is not meant to be limited to things actually reified in the Cyc system, but includes (e.g.) every instance -- reified or not, known or not -- of every collection recognized by Cyc.) Thing signifies A very general signification or representation predicate. (<a href="http://sw.opencyc.org/2008/06/10/concept/en/signifies" class="cyc_term">signifies</a> SIGNIFIER SIGNIFIED) means that the <a href="http://sw.opencyc.org/2008/06/10/concept/en/Thing" class="cyc_term">Thing</a> SIGNIFIED is signified by the <a href="http://sw.opencyc.org/2008/06/10/concept/en/Individual" class="cyc_term">Individual</a> SIGNIFIER. That is, SIGNIFIER somehow represents, refers to, denotes, or depicts SIGNIFIED. As an instance of <a href="http://sw.opencyc.org/2008/06/10/concept/en/Thing" class="cyc_term">Thing</a>, SIGNIFIED can be anything. SIGNIFIER can be almost anything, although it is most often a word, phrase, description, string, image or symbol. Note that this predicate does not state to whom SIGNIFIER represents SIGNIFIED; that is some assumed 'interpreter' or 'community of interpreters' in the given context, and it is left implicit by this binary predicate. In order to mention explicitly the interpreter or agent to whom SIGNIFIER means SIGNIFIED, use the ternary predicate (<a href="http://sw.opencyc.org/2008/06/10/concept/en/signifiesTo" class="cyc_term">signifiesTo</a> SIGNIFIER SIGNIFIED AGENT). Often there is a convention (intersubjective understanding and agreement) by which one thing represents another, such as the word 'Dogs' referring (in English) to dogs, or the abstract tetrahedron referring to the element Fire in <a href="http://sw.opencyc.org/2008/06/10/concept/en/Alchemy" class="cyc_term">Alchemy</a>. A pile of three rocks on a path can signify 'danger ahead' and the number thirteen can signify bad luck (such signification is sometimes called "symbolic".) But there need be no specific convention; deer tracks in the sand can signify the deer (such signification is sometimes called "indexical"), and a picture or photograph may signify whatever it is a picture of (such signification is sometimes called "iconic"), in both cases without any prior convention or agreement. An important specialization of this predicate is <a href="http://sw.opencyc.org/2008/06/10/concept/en/denotes" class="cyc_term">denotes</a>, which restricts SIGNIFIER to instances of <a href="http://sw.opencyc.org/2008/06/10/concept/en/CycLExpression" class="cyc_term">CycLExpression</a>, and the relationship between SIGNIFIER and SIGNIFIED to that of denoting (i.e. directly referring to). connotation <a href="http://sw.opencyc.org/2008/06/10/concept/en/Individual" class="cyc_term">Individual</a> is the collection of all individuals: things that are not sets or collections. Individuals might be concrete or abstract, and include (among other things) physical objects, events, numbers, relations, and groups. An instance of <a href="http://sw.opencyc.org/2008/06/10/concept/en/Individual" class="cyc_term">Individual</a> might have parts or structure (including discontinuous parts); but no individual has elements or subsets (see <a href="http://sw.opencyc.org/2008/06/10/concept/en/elementOf" class="cyc_term">elementOf</a> and <a href="http://sw.opencyc.org/2008/06/10/concept/en/subsetOf" class="cyc_term">subsetOf</a>). Thus, an individual that has parts (e.g. <a href="http://sw.opencyc.org/2008/06/10/concept/en/physicalParts" class="cyc_term">physicalParts</a> or <a href="http://sw.opencyc.org/2008/06/10/concept/en/groupMembers" class="cyc_term">groupMembers</a>) is not the same thing as either the set or the collection containing those same parts. For example, your car is an individual, but the collection of all the parts of your car is not an individual but an instance of <a href="http://sw.opencyc.org/2008/06/10/concept/en/Collection" class="cyc_term">Collection</a>. This collection (unlike the car itself) is abstract: it doesn't have a location, mass, or a top speed; but it does have instances, subcollections, and supercollections. In partial contrast, the <a href="http://sw.opencyc.org/2008/06/10/concept/en/Group" class="cyc_term">Group</a> (q.v.) of parts of your car (while also not the same thing as the car itself) is an individual that has location and mass. Another example: A given company, the group consisting of all the company's employees, the collection of those employees, and the set of those employees are four distinct things, and only the first two are individuals. individual Individual signifies A very general signification or representation predicate. (<a href="http://sw.opencyc.org/2008/06/10/concept/en/signifies" class="cyc_term">signifies</a> SIGNIFIER SIGNIFIED) means that the <a href="http://sw.opencyc.org/2008/06/10/concept/en/Thing" class="cyc_term">Thing</a> SIGNIFIED is signified by the <a href="http://sw.opencyc.org/2008/06/10/concept/en/Individual" class="cyc_term">Individual</a> SIGNIFIER. That is, SIGNIFIER somehow represents, refers to, denotes, or depicts SIGNIFIED. As an instance of <a href="http://sw.opencyc.org/2008/06/10/concept/en/Thing" class="cyc_term">Thing</a>, SIGNIFIED can be anything. SIGNIFIER can be almost anything, although it is most often a word, phrase, description, string, image or symbol. Note that this predicate does not state to whom SIGNIFIER represents SIGNIFIED; that is some assumed 'interpreter' or 'community of interpreters' in the given context, and it is left implicit by this binary predicate. In order to mention explicitly the interpreter or agent to whom SIGNIFIER means SIGNIFIED, use the ternary predicate (<a href="http://sw.opencyc.org/2008/06/10/concept/en/signifiesTo" class="cyc_term">signifiesTo</a> SIGNIFIER SIGNIFIED AGENT). Often there is a convention (intersubjective understanding and agreement) by which one thing represents another, such as the word 'Dogs' referring (in English) to dogs, or the abstract tetrahedron referring to the element Fire in <a href="http://sw.opencyc.org/2008/06/10/concept/en/Alchemy" class="cyc_term">Alchemy</a>. A pile of three rocks on a path can signify 'danger ahead' and the number thirteen can signify bad luck (such signification is sometimes called "symbolic".) But there need be no specific convention; deer tracks in the sand can signify the deer (such signification is sometimes called "indexical"), and a picture or photograph may signify whatever it is a picture of (such signification is sometimes called "iconic"), in both cases without any prior convention or agreement. An important specialization of this predicate is <a href="http://sw.opencyc.org/2008/06/10/concept/en/denotes" class="cyc_term">denotes</a>, which restricts SIGNIFIER to instances of <a href="http://sw.opencyc.org/2008/06/10/concept/en/CycLExpression" class="cyc_term">CycLExpression</a>, and the relationship between SIGNIFIER and SIGNIFIED to that of denoting (i.e. directly referring to). connotation signifies A very general signification or representation predicate. (<a href="http://sw.opencyc.org/2008/06/10/concept/en/signifies" class="cyc_term">signifies</a> SIGNIFIER SIGNIFIED) means that the <a href="http://sw.opencyc.org/2008/06/10/concept/en/Thing" class="cyc_term">Thing</a> SIGNIFIED is signified by the <a href="http://sw.opencyc.org/2008/06/10/concept/en/Individual" class="cyc_term">Individual</a> SIGNIFIER. That is, SIGNIFIER somehow represents, refers to, denotes, or depicts SIGNIFIED. As an instance of <a href="http://sw.opencyc.org/2008/06/10/concept/en/Thing" class="cyc_term">Thing</a>, SIGNIFIED can be anything. SIGNIFIER can be almost anything, although it is most often a word, phrase, description, string, image or symbol. Note that this predicate does not state to whom SIGNIFIER represents SIGNIFIED; that is some assumed 'interpreter' or 'community of interpreters' in the given context, and it is left implicit by this binary predicate. In order to mention explicitly the interpreter or agent to whom SIGNIFIER means SIGNIFIED, use the ternary predicate (<a href="http://sw.opencyc.org/2008/06/10/concept/en/signifiesTo" class="cyc_term">signifiesTo</a> SIGNIFIER SIGNIFIED AGENT). Often there is a convention (intersubjective understanding and agreement) by which one thing represents another, such as the word 'Dogs' referring (in English) to dogs, or the abstract tetrahedron referring to the element Fire in <a href="http://sw.opencyc.org/2008/06/10/concept/en/Alchemy" class="cyc_term">Alchemy</a>. A pile of three rocks on a path can signify 'danger ahead' and the number thirteen can signify bad luck (such signification is sometimes called "symbolic".) But there need be no specific convention; deer tracks in the sand can signify the deer (such signification is sometimes called "indexical"), and a picture or photograph may signify whatever it is a picture of (such signification is sometimes called "iconic"), in both cases without any prior convention or agreement. An important specialization of this predicate is <a href="http://sw.opencyc.org/2008/06/10/concept/en/denotes" class="cyc_term">denotes</a>, which restricts SIGNIFIER to instances of <a href="http://sw.opencyc.org/2008/06/10/concept/en/CycLExpression" class="cyc_term">CycLExpression</a>, and the relationship between SIGNIFIER and SIGNIFIED to that of denoting (i.e. directly referring to). connotation