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| Now, at this stage of the game, if you ask: ''Is the object of the sign <math>y\!</math> one or many?'', the answer has to be: ''Not one, but many''. That is, there is not one <math>x\!</math> that <math>y\!</math> denotes, but only the three <math>x\!</math>'s in the object space. Nominal thinkers would ask: ''Granted this, what need do we have really of more excess?'' The maxim of the nominal thinker is ''never read a general name as a name of a general'', meaning that we should never jump from the accidental circumstance of a plural sign <math>y\!</math> to the abnominal fact that a unit <math>x\!</math> exists. | | Now, at this stage of the game, if you ask: ''Is the object of the sign <math>y\!</math> one or many?'', the answer has to be: ''Not one, but many''. That is, there is not one <math>x\!</math> that <math>y\!</math> denotes, but only the three <math>x\!</math>'s in the object space. Nominal thinkers would ask: ''Granted this, what need do we have really of more excess?'' The maxim of the nominal thinker is ''never read a general name as a name of a general'', meaning that we should never jump from the accidental circumstance of a plural sign <math>y\!</math> to the abnominal fact that a unit <math>x\!</math> exists. |
| | | |
− | <pre>
| + | In actual practice this would be just one segment of a much larger sign relation, but let us continue to focus on just this one piece. The association of objects with signs is not in general a function, no matter which way, from <math>O\!</math> to <math>S\!</math> or from <math>S\!</math> to <math>O,\!</math> that we might try to read it, but very often one will choose to focus on a selection of links that do make up a function in one direction or the other. |
− | In actual practice this would be just one segment of a much larger | |
− | sign relation, but let us continue to focus on just this one piece. | |
− | The association of objects with signs is not in general a function, | |
− | no matter which way, from O to S or from S to O, that we might try | |
− | to read it, but very often one will choose to focus on a selection | |
− | of links that do make up a function in one direction or the other. | |
| | | |
− | In general, but in this context especially, it is convenient | + | In general, but in this context especially, it is convenient to have a name for the converse of the denotation relation, or for any selection from it. I have been toying with the idea of calling this ''annotation'', or maybe ''ennotation''. |
− | to have a name for the converse of the denotation relation, | |
− | or for any selection from it. I have been toying with the | |
− | idea of calling this "annotation", or maybe "ennotation". | |
| | | |
− | For a not too impertinent instance, the assignment of the | + | For example, the assignment of the general term <math>y</math> to each of the objects <math>x_1, x_2, x_3\!</math> is one such functional patch, piece, segment, or selection. So this patch can be pictured according to the pattern that was previously observed, and thus transformed by means of a canonical factorization. |
− | general term y to each of the objects x_1, x_2, x_3 is | |
− | one such functional patch, piece, segment, or selection. | |
− | So this patch can be pictured according to the pattern | |
− | that was previously observed, and thus transformed by | |
− | means of a canonical factorization. | |
| | | |
− | In this case, we factor the function f : O -> S | + | In our example of a sign relation, we had a functional subset of the following shape: |
| | | |
− | Source O :> x_1 x_2 x_3
| + | {| align="center" cellpadding="10" style="text-align:center; width:90%" |
− | | o o o
| + | | |
− | | \ | /
| + | <pre> |
− | f | \ | /
| + | o---------------------------------------o |
− | | \|/
| + | | | |
− | v ... o ...
| + | | Source O :> x_1 x_2 x_3 | |
− | Target S :> y
| + | | | o o o | |
| + | | | \ | / | |
| + | | f | \ | / | |
| + | | | \|/ | |
| + | | v ... o ... | |
| + | | Target S :> y | |
| + | | | |
| + | o---------------------------------------o |
| + | </pre> |
| + | |} |
| | | |
− | into the composition g o h, where g : O -> M, and h : M -> S | + | The function <math>f : O \to S</math> factors into a composition <math>g \circ h,\!</math> where <math>g : O \to M,</math> and <math>h : M \to S,</math> as shown here: |
| | | |
− | Source O :> x_1 x_2 x_3
| + | {| align="center" cellpadding="10" style="text-align:center; width:90%" |
− | | o o o
| + | | |
− | g | \ | /
| + | <pre> |
− | | \ | /
| + | o---------------------------------------o |
− | v \|/
| + | | | |
− | Medium M :> ... x ...
| + | | Source O :> x_1 x_2 x_3 | |
− | | | | + | | | o o o | |
− | h | |
| + | | g | \ | / | |
− | | | | + | | | \ | / | |
− | v ... o ...
| + | | v \|/ | |
− | Target S :> y
| + | | Medium M :> ... x ... | |
| + | | | | | |
| + | | h | | | |
| + | | | | | |
| + | | v ... o ... | |
| + | | Target S :> y | |
| + | | | |
| + | o---------------------------------------o |
| + | </pre> |
| + | |} |
| | | |
− | The factorization of an arbitrary function | + | The factorization of an arbitrary function into a surjective ("onto") function followed by an injective ("one-one") function is such a deceptively trivial observation that I had guessed that you would all wonder what in the heck, if anything, could possibly come of it. |
− | into a surjective ("onto") function followed | |
− | by an injective ("one-one") function is such | |
− | a deceptively trivial observation that I had | |
− | guessed that you would all wonder what in the | |
− | heck, if anything, could possibly come of it. | |
| | | |
| + | <pre> |
| What it means is that, "without loss or gain of generality" (WOLOGOG), | | What it means is that, "without loss or gain of generality" (WOLOGOG), |
| we might as well assume that there is a domain of intermediate entities | | we might as well assume that there is a domain of intermediate entities |