The Limits of Conceptualization - Essay Example

Computer Sciences and I.T affiliation The Limits of Conceptualization (Sowa, 1984) Source: (Sowa, John. Conceptual structures. 1984) Conceptual analysis stands out as an important constituent of metaphysics. However, before one delves into this unique field of human cognitive activity, it serves justice to understand the authority of the author; John Sowa, whose work serves as a guide. Sowa is an American computer scientist. He can well be referred to as the father of Conceptual graphs. He invented conceptual graphs in the late 70’s. He dedicated his time to analyzing Artificial Intelligence. His studies in this field were linked to natural languages. Sowa published his book, ‘conceptual structures’ in 1984. In chapter seven of the book, he ventures into analyzing the limits of conceptualization. Concepts, according to (Sowa, 1984), are rational representations and entities that exist in the brain. He further elaborates that concepts can as well denote abilities unique to cognitive agents. Elaborating further, he puts them as abstract objects. He says that these objects are components of propositions that reconcile language and thought. Concepts are devised in relation to the unique and universal properties of an item. In the physical theory of mind according to Sowa (1984), these concepts are rational expressions or representations applied by the human brain, to designate a class of items in existence. They facilitate mankind in drawing appropriate inferences concerning entities pertaining to his natural surroundings. Concepts conform to a hierarchy and characterize the set of items sharing similar values for a definitive set of uniqueness. A sub- concept, on the other hand, is a subset of properties of occurrences or items in the hierarchy of a concept. It should be noted that the latter lays the basis on which the defining characteristics of something are found. Sowa points out those concepts also refer to cognitive abilities peculiar to a specified agent. In this light, therefore, properly applied, conceptual analysis guides actions and behaviors. Many people harbor the perception that the capabilities of the human brain are limitless. ‘If One believe it, One can be it’, is arguably an optimist’s favorite motto. However, when it comes to conceptualization, everything has its limits. Sowa ventured to test the limits of the human cognitive abilities. He also ventured to do the same for Artificial Intelligence. The human free will makes him unique in many ways. In the context of freewill, the mandate to choose a course of action is solely dependent on the person. What one says or does, may be traced back to freewill. Therefore, in the context of conceptual analysis and the limits thereof, there are ‘concepts’ behind the words as well as behind the actions. All these are based on concepts and sub-concepts. In this regard, therefore, Sowa (1984) analyzed three main concepts ability, moral responsibility and freedom. What one can do is based on the concepts formed in the brain. What an individual wears is based on the concept of apparel. The power of reason forms the measure of every live human being. However, the free will reasoning that most people exemplify are based on differing information representation. Categorization of information in mind for the obtaining of sound decisions stems from the sound concept of free will. Sowa must have been fascinated by the ability of the human brain. He ventured into describing the amazing characteristics of the human behavior which even the computer could never achieve. The human brain forms concepts and analyzes sub-concepts to better define the concept. Therefore, it is right to deduce that conceptual analysis can be applied to come up with new ideas. A child, with a concept of a tree, can comfortably draw one without looking at it. That is the power of the concept. However, its limit comes when one gets down to details. Here, the context of sub-concepts applies. In a motor rally event, many participants will race with varying car model. The concept of a car will be the same since a car is just that; a car. The different makes are all dependent of definitions and scrutiny. This is the context of sub-concept. Here lies the difference. This line of thought, therefore, concludes that, concepts help to generalize knowledge about an item, whereas, sub-concept helps define it to the specifics. Sowa’s main objective in all his works appears to have been the enhancement of meanings by understanding situations and calculations. Meaning, in this case, stems from the context of semantics, as derived from his work on conceptual structures. In line with his ideas on the limit of conceptualization, one can conclude that what differentiates an individual from another, are personality traits and self attributes. The mental analysis of these characteristics as well as what we think of ourselves, primarily forms the concepts of what words we speak. This also forms conceptual basis of what we do. A young child standing in a market will see many different types of fruits. What will be conceptualized in his mind is the general term ‘fruits’? However, if he the kid were to get down to details, sub-concepts of the ‘fruits’ hierarchy would see the kid specify many types of fruits. Therefore, the limits of conceptualization lie in the ability or inability to narrow any idea down to the very basics. This also, in regard to Sowa (1984), is the defining variance between the human brain and a computer. The cognitive ability of the human brain is what makes all the difference. Conceptualizing What we See Source: Hall, Sean. This means this and this means that: a user’s guide to semiotics, 2nd edition. (2012) A pictorial message is a communications system, which aims at describing important physical and mathematical features through the use of easily understandable diagrams and samples. There are different ways in which humans use to pass messages. There are oral/spoken messages and also there are written messages. There are different ways in which written messages can be passed. For example, they may be passes through televisions and stereo systems. On the other hand, written messages can be passed through the use of journals, magazines, books and novels. Spoken messages were the first method of passing information. On the other hand, the use of written messages is also an earlier way of passing information. This may be dated back to the Stone Age, when man used to make writings on walls and stone tablets. The use of pictorial messages was also an early form of communication. Just like written messages, the use of pictorial messages also dates back to the Stone Age period. Today, there still are caves with drawings that date back to the Stone Age period. Nowadays, individuals worldwide have started adopting the use of pictorial message system in order to communicate their ideas and air their opinions for others to hear. On the other hand, the people receiving these messages have visual capabilities that enable them to see the picture message and comprehend its meaning and the message being passed. Visual messages such as sculptures, paintings, drawings and photographs have become a new universal language. Pictorial messages impact peoples’ lives in different ways. For example, they may be used to entertain people, inspire and bring a feeling of remorse in people. Picture messages are passed through various means such as books, art galleries and the social media. The adoption of information technology by institutions and people around the world has helped to increase the use of pictorial messages around the world. There are various situations in which pictorial messages are used. For example, the most common instances in which pictorial messages are used is in traffic symbols. Most traffic symbols entail the use of pictures. There are pictures in traffic signs that are used to pass various messages. There are pictures that are used to show steep slopes ahead, bumps ahead and works ahead. These traffic signs form examples of pictorial messages that are universally acceptable and understandable. Some pictorial messages are used to depict certain past events such as calamities. Examples of these pictures are those of earthquakes, hurricanes, battles, tsunamis and terrorist attacks. These pictures create remorseful state in us and may also be used in occasions such as fundraising events aimed at helping those that were affected by these predicaments. Pictorial messages can also be used for the purposes of entertainment. One of the most famous people in the world of comedy, Charlie Chaplin used pictorial messages to pass his jokes. He never used to talk, all his jokes were in the form of pictorial messages. When Charlie Chaplin met Einstein, Einstein told Charlie Chaplin that one of the things he loved about his work was that the whole world used to understand his jokes without him uttering a single word. This shows how efficient pictorial messages are at passing messages. It also shows that the use of pictorial messages should be universally accepted. Pictorial messages are also used widely in the preservation of culture. Many countries around the world use pictorial messages to conserve their culture, they also use them to remind them of various events and calamities in which the country has been through. Many sculptures are of warriors who led the country to victory during battles and also pictures of the brave warriors who died when fighting for peoples’ rights or independence. These sculptures are set in high places for everyone to see and remind them of the hardships they have faced to reach where they are. Pictorial messages are also used for religious purposes. Many religions use pictures and sculptures of their gods for religious purposes. An example of a religion that uses pictorial messages is the Greek Orthodox Church. This church uses pictures “icons” to remind them of various saints and disciples. They use the quote, “eyes are to vision as icons are to thoughts”. These pictures “icons” pass serve the purpose of reminding Christians of the various events that the saints and the disciples went through and, how they overcame the difficulties that they faced. Pictorial messages are also used by Human Rights Activists and Animal Rights Activists to protest against torture and mishandling of human beings and animals. These activists may use pictures showing the suffering of human beings and animals. These pictures raise rage in other people and, more people join in the demonstrations. As more people join the demonstrations, the relevant organizations take the necessary steps in order to address the grievances raised by the demonstrators. The use of pictorial messages should be accepted globally. This is because they are easily understood by every person of a sane mind. They can also be understood by all people irrespective of their age, race and ethical background. Where is Here? Conceptually Speaking Source: Senge, Peter M. The fifth discipline: the art and practice of the learning organization, revised edition. (2006) Conceptually speaking, we can be able to tell the location of a person or an item. We can also be able to explain the procedure in which we can use to get to the location where the place or an item is located. Explaining the location of a person and the procedure on how to get to that particular place is a sensitive issue. One should ensure that he gives precise directions and also the most precise procedure on how to get there. Failure to do that, there may arise complications, and, the person receiving the instructions may end up getting lost or failing to reach the intended destination. Conceptually speaking, helps to equip a person with ideas that will in turn help a person understand the world around him. The words that are used in the definition of relationships in the space between locations are important because they help to create the basic framework needed to understand a location. There are specific concepts that may be used in the description of a particular location. Examples of location concepts include “in”, “out”, “over”, “up” and “down”. When constructing a sentence, a person may say, “One will find me in the motel, on the fifth floor”. Other concepts include under, far, down, through and near. In a sentence, a person may say, “our school is located down the valley, near the Amazon”. These concepts are used to describe the spatial relationships between objects and people. Giving the coordinates of a specific location is not enough to get a person to that location. One also needs to explain the procedure to be followed for one to get to the location and, that is where the concept of procedure comes about. The concept of procedure does not work independently but depend on the concept of location. The concept of location explains facts on “where to” and, the concept of procedure explains facts on “how to”. When describing the procedure to be followed in order to arrive at a particular location, we will use concepts such as speed, velocity, displacement, and acceleration. For example, to get to Champlain College, One can drive at 80mph from Toronto. A friend is from Toronto is coming to visit me at Trent University. To get to Trent University from Toronto, he will first head North on Bay Street and drive toward Hagerman Street for 280m. From Hagerman Street, he will turn to the right onto Dundas St W. after driving for 2.5 km on Dundas St W, turn left onto the Don valley Parkway ramp and drive for 220m. Merge onto Don Valley Parkway N and drive for 12.9 km to the ON-401 exit. Drive for 1.2 km and merge onto Ontario 401 Express. After driving for 12.9km, take the exit toward Regional Road 38 and drive for 650 meters. After exiting the Regional Road 38, merge onto ON-401E and drive for 46.2 km. After driving for 46.2 km, exit the main road by taking exit 436 and, merge onto ON-115 N or ON-35 N toward Lindsay/Peterborough and continue to follow ON-115 N for 46.4 km. Continue onto ON-115 N/Trans-Canada Highway. After driving for 12.1 kilometers, continue onto Television Road and drive for 3.3 km. Turn right to Parkhill Road East and drive for 400 meters. Take a slight left onto Country Road 4 and drive for 1.0km. After driving for one kilometer, take a left turn to University Road and drive for 2.4 kilometers. After that, turn left onto Nassau Mills road and continue to follow the road for 750 meters. After that, turn right onto W Bank Dr after driving for 750 meters, One will teach Trent University. When One reach Champlain College, One will find me in the Great Hall at the far right corner near the counter taking a cup of coffee. The concept of procedure, Champlain College is 143 kilometers from Toronto. One can either take the ON-401 East route or the ON-115 N route. Without heavy traffic, it will be one hour thirty four minutes’ drive. However, in current traffic, One will take approximately two hours and five minutes. On the other hand, without traffic, it might take one hour and forty seven minutes when using the ON-115N route. One may travel either by bus or by public transport. However, I would recommend travelling by private means because it is faster and more comfortable. There is a huge difference between the concept of direction and the concept of procedure. However, none of the two concepts can work independently. Every concept depends on the other in order to bring efficiency. The concept of distance is broader than the concept of procedure. This is because this concept of direction has to give the exact place in which One will find the desired item or person. In some instances, the location may be in a densely populated place or in congested buildings. This makes it even more problematic to drive the exact coordinates. In the concept of procedure, the only thing that one has to do is provide the alternative and easier ways in which one can use to reach a particular location. This will involve the speed in which one will have to travel and the different routes. One can also provide a person with the most appropriate transportation means. References Hall, s. (2012). This means this, this means that a users guide to semiotics. london: Laurence King Pub. Senge, P. (2006). The fifth discipline: the art and practice of the learning organization. New York: Doubleday/Currency. Sowa, J. (1984). Conceptual structures: information processing in mind and machine. Taipei: Sung Kang. Read More