torekp comments on Transhumanism and the denotation-connotation gap - Less Wrong

19 Post author: PhilGoetz 18 August 2010 03:33PM

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Comment author: thomblake 18 August 2010 06:33:46PM 2 points [-]

A word's denotation is our conscious definition of it. You can think of this as the set of things in the world with membership in the category defined by that word; or as a set of rules defining such a set. (Logicians call the former the category's extension into the world.)

Logicians also call the former "denotation", and call the latter "intension" or "connotation".

Comment author: torekp 19 August 2010 05:00:44PM 0 points [-]

Denotation is also called "extension", with the obvious contrast to "intension".

Maybe it would be clearer to use "associations" or "associative network" or some such, rather than "connotation", for the pole opposite to denotation.

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