[sc34wg3] What do we mean by reification?

Lars Marius Garshol sc34wg3@isotopicmaps.org
01 Mar 2003 13:59:00 +0100


* Patrick Durusau
|
| The reason for my question is that I am assuming to have a topic
| means that the subject is being represented in the topic map? 

You put your finger on it here: topics represent subjects. That's what
they are for. In other words, the relationship between a topic and its
subject is one of representation.

In certain cases, however, what the topic represents is part of the
topic map, and in those cases the relationship is the more specialized
relationship of reification. 

<URL: http://www.isotopicmaps.org/sam/sam-model/#topic >
<URL: http://www.isotopicmaps.org/sam/sam-model/#reification >

Does this help?

-- 
Lars Marius Garshol, Ontopian         <URL: http://www.ontopia.net >
GSM: +47 98 21 55 50                  <URL: http://www.garshol.priv.no >