%0 Conference Paper %1 guarino-n-1995-25-a %A Guarino, Nicola %A Giaretta, P. %B Towards Very Large Knowledge Bases: Knowledge Building and Knowledge Sharing %D 1995 %E Mars, N. J. I. %I #IOS# %K av:attached ontology proj:et proj:o4p toread %P 25-32 %T Ontologies and Knowledge Bases: Towards a Terminological Clarification %X The word öntology" has recently gained a good popularity within the knowledge engineering community. However, its meaning tends to remain a bit vagua, as the term is used in very different ways. Limiting our attention to the various proposals made in the current debate in AI, we isolate a number of interpretations, which in our opinion deserve a suitable clarification. We elucidatethe implications of such various interpretations, arguing for the need of clear terminological choices regarding the technical use of terms like öntology", "conceptualization" and öntological commitment". After some comments on the use Öntology" (with the capital ö") as a term which denotes a philosophical discipline, we analyse the possible confusion between an ontology intended as a particular conceptual framework at the knowledge level and an ontology intended as a concrete artifact at the symbol level, to be used for a given purpose. A crucial point in this clarification e�ort is the careful analysis of Gruber's definition of an ontology as a specification of a conceptualization.

@inproceedings{guarino-n-1995-25-a, abstract = {The word "ontology" has recently gained a good popularity within the knowledge engineering community. {H}owever, its meaning tends to remain a bit vagua, as the term is used in very different ways. {L}imiting our attention to the various proposals made in the current debate in {AI}, we isolate a number of interpretations, which in our opinion deserve a suitable clarification. {W}e elucidatethe implications of such various interpretations, arguing for the need of clear terminological choices regarding the technical use of terms like "ontology", "conceptualization" and "ontological commitment". {A}fter some comments on the use "{O}ntology" (with the capital "o") as a term which denotes a philosophical discipline, we analyse the possible confusion between an ontology intended as a particular conceptual framework at the knowledge level and an ontology intended as a concrete artifact at the symbol level, to be used for a given purpose. {A} crucial point in this clarification e�ort is the careful analysis of {G}ruber's definition of an ontology as a specification of a conceptualization.}, added-at = {2008-01-12T11:43:50.000+0100}, author = {Guarino, Nicola and Giaretta, P.}, biburl = {https://www.bibsonomy.org/bibtex/2fcdd690b58d350cb61b107bbd18b8221/wnpxrz}, booktitle = {Towards {V}ery {L}arge {K}nowledge {B}ases: {K}nowledge {B}uilding and {K}nowledge {S}haring}, editor = {Mars, N. J. I.}, interhash = {d639971941f1b0e421723e87766e659c}, intrahash = {fcdd690b58d350cb61b107bbd18b8221}, keywords = {av:attached ontology proj:et proj:o4p toread}, pages = {25-32}, publisher = {#IOS#}, timestamp = {2008-01-21T16:20:59.000+0100}, title = {Ontologies and {K}nowledge {B}ases: {T}owards a {T}erminological {C}larification}, year = 1995 }