Ontology:Q28
- pronounced [Z0] signifier equation 1-1-1
Core characteristics[edit]
- pronounced [P] alias (mis) [string]
- signifier containing arrangement of signifiers
- signifiers arranged into mathematical equation with operators
- QID references [Item] 1-1-1
- --
- color swatch references [Item]
- mathematical operator
- case of [Item]
- --
- super-case of [Item]
- ontological model
Use in thesis portals[edit]
- appears in work
- MDem 4.3/6951 plus
- with context
- definition
Wavebuilder combinations[edit]
- pronounced [P] pronounced Wavebuilder: forms result [Item]
- --
- along with [Item]
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Usage notes[edit]
A signifier equation is a sign expressed in the form of "A = B + C", or such an equation containing any number of signifier terms and operators which combine them together. For any given declarative proposition, such as "An apple is a red fruit", the proposition can be rearranged as "apple = fruit + red" or "apple = {fruit, red}". More than this, signifier equations can be nested into other signifier equations: "apple = { {tree,branch,flower}, {cranberry,ripe,color} }".
The basic purpose of signifier equations is to formalize the notion of defining a signifier so that it can be used by ordinary computer programs which are not neural networks, as with Wavebuilder. In turn, this allows for the possibility of thinking of signifiers as something other than language per se — if we pick our signifiers very carefully, we can effectively use them as very simple scientific models of real-world processes, or some other kind of restricted model of physics-based systems, such as an ontology which is capable of representing interactions between the rules of a card game. The difference between language and mathematics is much smaller than it would appear; if the concepts of language are used precisely enough for the purposes of some particular application, sentences themselves effectively become capable of certain kinds of propositional logic where the words or claims inside the sentences can be interacted with each other to reveal possible contradictions or pieces of the conclusion.
Wavebuilder implements signifier equations mostly in a classic form of "A = {B, C}", in order to turn them into wave machine tables and focus on the simple concept of finding the most "obvious" result of two components or propositions. Dictionary files can be constructed different ways or from different pieces, allowing for different ontologies of what elements or Items combine to produce what. (On Lithographica, where there is only one set of Items, the strategy is simply to create parallel sets of Items that stack up into different conceptual models.) No result is truly canonical; the purpose of combinations is to test the strength of previous combinations as much as it is to discover new results. This allows Wavebuilder combinations to function effectively as a tool for creativity and meta-ontological reasoning.