Abstract
A common problem of ontologies is that their taxonomic structure is often poor and confusing. This is typically exemplified by the unrestrained use of subsumption to accomplish a variety of tasks. In this paper we show how a formal ontology of unary properties can help using the subsumption relation in a disciplined way. This formal ontology is based on some meta-properties built around the fundamental philosophical notions of identity, unity, essence, and dependence. These meta-properties impose some constraints on the subsumption relation that clarify many misconceptions about taxonomies, facilitating their understanding, comparison and integration.
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Guarino, N., Welty†, C. (2000). A Formal Ontology of Properties. In: Dieng, R., Corby, O. (eds) Knowledge Engineering and Knowledge Management Methods, Models, and Tools. EKAW 2000. Lecture Notes in Computer Science(), vol 1937. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/3-540-39967-4_8
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/3-540-39967-4_8
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