Representation

Representation

The Merriam Webster’s Collegiate dictionary definition of representation is something that serves as a specimen, example, or instance of something[1].

Before we dive into the detailed representation of thought, existence, and information, we need to take a step back and examine the fundamental nature of representation in general. Although representation is one of the most fundamental phenomena in existence, the most fundamental question: what is it? – has rarely been answered directly.

The overwhelming majority of work on representation has been based on the symbolic representation of information. This includes the development of logic, mathematics, and information systems.

Information and everything based on it only address one of the three fundamental types of representation. It is important to view the entire landscape of representation so we can see how logic, mathematics, and information relate to the other fundamental types of representation. It is also important to see if some other fundamental type of representation is better suited to the representation of thought than a representation based on symbolic logic, mathematics, or information. We need to look beyond the symbolic representation of information. If we confine ourselves to only one of the three fundamental types of representation, we limit our ability to reason to that which can be represented by that single fundamental type. We should not limit our ability to reason needlessly. We certainly should not do so blindly.

An Orthogonal Classification of Representation
In the most general sense, representations can be classified along two orthogonal principal axes: The first axis of representation is the direct - indirect axis. The second is the intensional - extensional axis. These axes form an abstract two dimensional concept space within which we will map and analyze the different fundamental types of representation.

The Direct - Indirect Axis of Representation
There are three fundamental classes of representation along the direct – indirect axis; direct representations, indirect representations, and universal representations.

[1] Merriam Websters Collegiate Dictionary, 11th Edition, Meriam-Webster, Inc., 2003