2.1. Language and Communication
Definition 1. An alphabet is a finite set of symbols [MWE] [CAM] [COL] [BRI].
Consider, for example, the set of symbols a, b, …, y, z, made up of the English alphabet, consisting of 26 symbols, plus the space symbol .
Definition 2. A string is a concatenation of a finite set of symbols from an alphabet[MWE] [CAM] [COL] [BRI].
gjwqtut, tile, eyvly, keyboard are examples of strings. The concatenation of strings is a string and a symbol is particular type of string.
Definition 3. A dictionary is a finite set of strings, called words [MWE] [COL].
Definition 4. An expression is a concatenations of finite set of words.
[MWE] and [COL] defines an expression as “something that manifests, embodies, or symbolizes something else”. To avoid clutter, we shall no longer indicate the character with its explicit representation but with the symbol of space-between-words as usual. Then, tile gjwqtut keyboard tile is an example of expression, this is just string concatenation. A word is a particular type of expression.
Definition 5. A grammar is a finite set of rules of concatenation of symbols, words and expressions to form clauses [MWE] [CAM] [COL] [BRI].
The expression tile gjwqtut gjwqtut is not a clause while keyboard is a tile is (given that is is within the dictionary and play the correct role in accordance with the rules of the given grammar).
Clause are generally defined as “a group of words containing a subject and predicate and functioning as a member of a complex”[MWE] or “the part of sentence with a subject and a verb”[CAM]. A clause is a particular type of expression where we cannot yet guarantee that their content is meaningful as there are no reasons to not construct strings like the thready chair is healed.
Definition 6. A sentence is a concatenations of finite set of clauses according to the rules of grammar.
In [MWE] a sentence is “a word, clause, or phrase or a group of clauses or phrases forming a syntactic unit which expresses an assertion, a question, a command, a wish, an exclamation, or the performance of an action, that in writing usually begins with a capital letter and concludes with appropriate end punctuation, and that in speaking is distinguished by characteristic patterns of stress, pitch, and pauses” and in [COL] is “a sentence is a group of words which, when they are written down, begin with a capital letter and end with a full stop, question mark, or exclamation mark”. Basically it is a complete construction contained between distinctive signs that mark the beginning and the end, making it complete but still not significant in general. Then we shall define a metric to measure the informative content or, at least, compare sentences based on the information they convey.
Definition 7. A language is a pair formed by a dictionary and a grammar [MWE] [CAM].
Definition 8. An information is the meaning of a sentence [MWE] [CAM] [COL] [BRI].
When a sentence describes qualities or behaviors that the subject does not actually possess, it fails to convey meaningful or useful information. This is because the message does not accurately reflect the reality of the subject. Then, it shall be considered as having zero information content as it provides no valuable information about the subject (since an object does not belong to a subject, declaring its non-belonging or an attribute about a non-belonging object is not informative). On the other hand, a sentence that accurately describe the development, characteristics and behaviors of a subject carry meaningful information.
Definition 9. A communication is a finite process by which informations is exchanged [MWE] [CAM] [COL] [BRI].
The structure that emerges from the definitions is depicted in
Figure 1 in a content-form plane. The alphabet, by definition, has no content and no form since symbols do not represent anything on their other than themselves and lack any substructure. A symbol is the grammatical equivalent of a geometric point: it has no parts [
16].
It is important to exercise caution when using terms like
dictionary,
grammar,
language to avoid restricting their meaning to what is commonly understood as spoken or written language. Here,
language refers to any manifestation that involves the combination of simpler elements to create more complex ones, which can in turn be combined to form other elements. Syntax establishes the rules of form, grammar and structure, while semantics sets the rules for content, information and interpretation. This definition encompasses formal languages, natural languages, musical notation systems, shorthand writing, choreographic notation, and programming languages. More broadly, it includes any context where a communication process, or transfer of information, can be identified. Hockett [
17], identifies 13 characteristics of language, to which we should consider adding the features of “learnability” (the ability to acquire a language), “introspection” (the ability to use language to describe itself), “order” (the importance of word arrangement), “recursiveness” (the presence of sentences within larger sentences), “hierarchy” (the ability to create hierarchical structures within sentences of a text, within words of a sentence, or within symbols of a word), and “distinction” (the ability to identify sets of sentences, words, and symbols with common functions).
2.3. Knowledge
Knowledge can be innate, acquired by observation, thinking or thinking-plus-observing and through different sources
[IEP]. A widespread but not universally accepted definition states that knowledge is the justification of true beliefs (also known as JTB) [
18]. So knowledge is characterized by three features (tripartite theory of knowledge): it is a belief, it is true and it is justified. This concept is often attributed to Gettier [
3]. At its core, knowledge involves holding a belief about something. This means that an individual must accept or affirm a sentence. This sentence must be true: a belief might be sincere and strongly held, but if it does not correspond to reality (or to any other criterion of truth), it does not qualify as knowledge. Justification refers to having good reasons or evidence that support the belief. In other words, there should be a rational basis for holding the belief. This criterion helps distinguish knowledge from mere lucky guesses.
The most consensus feature about knowledge is the truth: one can believe in something false or can communicate false sentences (definition 6, 8 and 9), yet one cannot have false knowledge (know something false) [
19]. Definition 8 imposes no constraint on the truth of the sentence itself because the fact is not involved in the process of creating a sentence, nor in the overall communicative process. Ultimately, the main controversy is related to the third feature of knowledge, justification. In particular all those cases where justification is subjective or the true belief is not part of the common knowledge such as luck, superstition or scenarios based on some random pattern that are not deterministically reproducible
[PLA][
18,
19,
20,
21].
The disagreement on the exact definition of knowledge develops in different strands. In [
20], JTB is a necessary but not a sufficient condition. Then, there must be an unknown feature X (which leads to the definition of knowledge as JTBX) where X is a condition or list of conditions logically independent from J, T and B. Or, J is replaced with an other feature F such as reliability or other, leading to FTB. If F=J+X. Then, FTB=JTBX. If F=J. Then, FTB=JTB. Hence, FTB is the most general definition. To distinguish from mere J, we shall use the term
argumentation to refer to a broader process [
22] able to F-ify (J-ify, X-ify or combinations or others).
Definition 11. Let a finite set of facts and a language at least able to convey facts into communicable sentences. Then, a TB sentence is knowledge if there exists a finite process F able to F-ify the given sentence by means of that set of facts in the given language.
Knowledge is a believed and true fact (or finite set of facts) based on criteria of truth around which arguments, evidence, and demonstrations can be presented in a given language. Let a language and a finite set of facts, than finite knowledge is obtained by argumentation of true beliefs on given facts and can be incorporated into another set of facts to acquire
1 new knowledge. Hence, new knowledge proceeds by extension of the previous one. When it is not possible to extend the previous knowledge, then new knowledge stand alongside the previous one with no intersection.
In
Figure 3 there are two sets of facts (solid line). The set
and the set
. Given a language, a finite set of true beliefs can be argued by using only facts
and
to acquired knowledge
(dotted line). Adding fact
, new knowledge can be acquired from
and
(or by
,
and
) and when
is also added, than is acquired all the knowledge allowed by
. Using
,
and
knowledge
is acquired. It is possible to use
and
to acquire
just as it is possible to acquire
by
.
2.4. Research
[CAM] defines research as “a detailed study of a subject, especially in order to discover (new) information or reach a (new) understanding”. The definition makes no reference to the choice of criteria of truth because research is a process of study, exploration, discovery, much like communication. In fact, research can take various forms such as scientific, personal, spiritual, and can involve different phases and different criteria of truth. We need to take a step further and narrow down the definition in the scientific context to assert that scientific research is “a method of investigation in which a problem is first identified and observations, experiments, or other relevant data are then used to construct or test hypotheses that purport to solve it”[COL]. Let the set of all known facts through observation and measurement of nature, then the process of arguing true belief through these known facts is science. In our convention, science, is commonly defined as “the finite set of knowledge acquired through a methodical and rigorous process that organizes knowledge in such a way as to provide verifiable explanations and predictions about nature” [CAM][COL][BRI].
Definition 12. Let a language a finite set of facts and a sentence. A research in a given language, is the process of FTB of the sentence by means of that set of facts[MWE][CAM][PLA].
Knowledge is acquired through research. The process of arguing precedes knowledge itself, in the sense that the success of the argumentation marks the acquisition of new knowledge. In the event of a failure in the process, no knowledge has been acquired and the process itself is knowledge [
23,
24,
25].
Figure 4.
Research argues true beliefs through facts and a language and produces knowledge: it is acquired by research and research is the process of acquisition.
Figure 4.
Research argues true beliefs through facts and a language and produces knowledge: it is acquired by research and research is the process of acquisition.
Definition 13. A universe is a triad formed by a finite set of facts, a research and knowledge.
As stated, research is a given process (then a fact) that processes facts through language in an attempt to concatenate them and raise them to knowledge. Given the finitude of facts set and the research process, knowledge is also finite. However, new knowledge is added to previous knowledge expanding the universe. It might be useful to provide a definition for the universe composed of the knowledge actually produced and the universe composed of all the knowledge that can be produced (having unlimited time to argue and unlimited space to store it). The parallelism with cosmology is interesting: the observable universe (o-universe) is the universe composed of the knowledge actually produced defined as “the region of space that humans can actually or theoretically observe [...]. [...] Unlike the observable universe, the universe is possibly infinite and without spatial edges”[BRI].
2.4.1. Scientific research
“Subjective knowledge” is that which emerges from individual perspectives and facts unique to a single cognitive subject. “Intersubjective knowledge” arises from shared facts between two or more cognitive subjects, where these common facts can be connected to acquire shared knowledge. A special case of intersubjective knowledge is “objective knowledge” emerging from facts that are universally common among all cognitive subjects within a given set. The goal of scientific research is to identify facts that are as universally common as possible, thereby knowledge that is robust and widely accepted.