SEMANTIC INTEROPERABILITY: AN ANALYSIS UNDER THE PERSPECTIVE OF QUINE’S ONTOLOGICAL APPROACH

ABSTRACT

This article analyzes the ontological perspectives of studies on semantics interoperability of Information Science in the light of the notions proposed in the ontological approach of Willard Van Orman Quine. An important field of study for the development of semantic interoperability is the Knowledge Organization. Research in this field is based on different epistemic approaches and postures, among which the ontological and epistemological approaches and the pragmatic and positivist postures stand out. An assumption that permeates research on Knowledge Organization, even though it often appears only implicitly, concerns the need to acquire objective knowledge about the reality to develop Knowledge Organization systems that make different knowledge universes interoperable. From the analysis of the ontological perspectives of studies on semantics interoperability, in the light of Quine's ontological notions, it is possible to conclude that focusing on different domains, which is related to the subjective and epistemological approach in Knowledge Organization, is the best way that the information professional has to contact and identify, as far as possible, the objective side of knowledge for its subsequent representation.

Keywords:
Knowledge Organization; Ontology; Semantic Interoperability; Analytical Philosophy; Pragmatism