In philosophy, the term formal ontology is used to refer to an ontology defined by axioms in a formal language with the goal to provide an unbiased (domain- and application-independent) view on reality, which can help the modeler of domain- or application-specific ontologies (information science) to avoid possibly erroneous ontological assumptions encountered in modeling large-scale ontologies.
By maintaining an independent view on reality a formal (upper level) ontology gains the following properties:
- indefinite expandability:
- the ontology remains consistent with increasing content.
- content and context independence:
- any kind of 'concept' can find its place.
- accommodate different levels of granularity.
Theories on how to conceptualize reality date back as far as Plato and Aristotle.
Read more about Formal Ontology: Existing Formal Upper Level Ontologies (foundational Ontologies), Common Terms in Formal (upper-level) Ontologies, Formal Versus Nonformal
Famous quotes containing the word formal:
“True variety is in that plenitude of real and unexpected elements, in the branch charged with blue flowers thrusting itself, against all expectations, from the springtime hedge which seems already too full, while the purely formal imitation of variety ... is but void and uniformity, that is, that which is most opposed to variety....”
—Marcel Proust (1871–1922)