Contextual Taxonomies

Abstract. We provide a formal characterization of a notion of contextual taxonomy, that is to say, a taxonomy holding only with respect to a specific context. To this aim, a new proposal for dealing with "contexts act mathematical entities" is set forth, which is geared toward solving some problems arising in the area of normative system specifications for modeling multi-agent systems. Contexts are interpreted as sets of description logic models for different languages, and a number of operations on contexts are defined. Using this framework, a simple scenario taken from the legal domain is modeled, and a formal account of the so called open-texture of legal terms is provided characterizing the notions of "core" and "penumbra" of the meaning of a concept.

• Type: Conference
• Year: 2004
• Where: CLIMA
• Authors: Davide Grossi, Frank Dignum, John-Jules Ch. Meyer
• Keywords: CLIMA 2004, CLIMA 2007, Contextual Taxonomy, Description Logic Models, Formal Characterization