Innovation and Ontologies

Ontology in Philosophy 137
The meaning triangle shows the interaction between symbols (or words), concepts (or terms) and
the objects (or things). The triangle demonstrates that the relationship between a symbol and an
object is indirect and requires an interpreter. This interpreter invokes the corresponding concept
and links it to an object (Maedche, 2003; Pirlein, 1995). Interpretation can be done by a human
being or a machine.
During interpretation, the human or automatic interpreter 158 selects one correspondent out of the
number of possible correspondents (Maedche, Staab & Studer, 2001). To do this correctly, a logic
system is needed which reduces the possible relationships between symbol, concept and object;
in the best case down to one relation (Maedche, Staab & Studer, 2001; Staab, 2002). The
following figure illustrates a successful communication: sender and receiver evoke the same
concept.
figure 44 Successful communication according to analytic philosophy
During the 20 th century, scientific philosophy further pursued ontological thinking (Schuette &
Zelewski, 2001). Husserl (1950 & 1965) regarded his phenomenology as a universal ontology .
Hartmann’s seminal articles on a new ontology followed this trajectory (1949 & 1963). The topic
was also of interest to Heidegger (e.g. in Siewerth, 1963) who wrote on a fundamental ontology. The
existentialist Sartre was interested in a phenomenological ontology (Sartre, 2003).
Quine finally is responsible for the simple, yet exhaustive statement to the eye of a philosopher, to
be is simply “the value of a bound variable” (Quine, 1969 & 2003). This already indicates the path
to the (formalized) concept of ontology in Information Science described in section 1.2 and
subsection 5.3.3.
158 In the terminology of Watzlawick and his colleagues from the research field of communication, the interpreter is the receiver of the message
(Watzlawick, Beavin & Jackson, 1967). Though differing in terminology, the principles are the same in both schools of thought.