Sunday, October 09, 2005

Imprecise Language and Imprecise Perceptions

Consider the following statement by Professor Lotfi Zadeh in his recent abstract Computation with Information Described in Natural Language—The Concept of Generalized-Constraint-Based Computation (October 5, 2005):
Computation with information described in natural language cannot be dealt with through the use of machinery of natural language processing. The problem is semantic imprecision of natural languages. More specifically, a natural language is basically a system for describing perceptions. Perceptions are intrinsically imprecise, reflecting the bounded ability of sensory organs, and ultimately the brain, to resolve detail and store information. Semantic imprecision of natural languages is a concomitant of imprecision of perceptions.
Legal theorists, students of legal reasoning, and aficionados of factual inference in legal settings: What say you?

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