Changes

This project makes pivotal use of certain formal models to represent the conceived structure in a ''phenomenon of interest'' (POI).  For my purposes, the phenomenon of interest is typically a process of interpretation or a process of inquiry, two nominal species of process that will turn out to evolve from different points of view on the very same form of conduct.

This project makes pivotal use of certain formal models to represent the conceived structure in a ''phenomenon of interest'' (POI).  For my purposes, the phenomenon of interest is typically a process of interpretation or a process of inquiry, two nominal species of process that will turn out to evolve from different points of view on the very same form of conduct.

Commonly, a process of interest presents itself as the trajectory that an agent describes through an extended space of configurations.  The work of conceptualization and formalization is to represent this process as a conceptual object in terms of a formal model.  Depending on the point of view that is taken from moment to moment in this work, the ''model of interest'' (MOI) may be cast as a model of interpretation or as a model of inquiry.  As might be anticipated, it will turn out that both descriptions refer essentially to the same subject, but this will take some development to become clear.

Commonly, a process of interest presents itself as the trajectory that an agent describes through an extended space of configurations.  The work of conceptualization and formalization is to represent this process as a conceptual object in terms of a formal model.  Depending on the point of view that is taken from moment to moment in this work, the ''model of interest'' (MOI) may be cast either as a model of interpretation or as a model of inquiry.  As might be anticipated, it will turn out that both descriptions refer essentially to the same subject, but this will take some development to become clear.

In this work, the basic structure of each MOI is adopted from the pragmatic theory of signs and the general account of its operation is derived from the pragmatic theory of inquiry.  The indispensable utility of these formal models hinges on the circumstance that each MOI, whether playing its part in interpretation or in inquiry, is always a ''model'' in two important senses of the word.  First, it is a model in the logical sense that its structure satisfies a formal theory or an abstract specification.  Second, it is a model in the analogical sense that it represents an aspect of the structure that is present in another object or domain.

In this work, the basic structure of each MOI is adopted from the pragmatic theory of signs and the general account of its operation is derived from the pragmatic theory of inquiry.  The indispensable utility of these formal models hinges on the circumstance that each MOI, whether playing its part in interpretation or in inquiry, is always a ''model'' in two important senses of the word.  First, it is a model in the logical sense that its structure satisfies a formal theory or an abstract specification.  Second, it is a model in the analogical sense that it represents an aspect of the structure that is present in another object or domain.