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Some Notes on the Value of Vagueness in Everyday Communication

  • Conference paper
Information Processing and Management of Uncertainty in Knowledge-Based Systems. Applications (IPMU 2010)

Part of the book series: Communications in Computer and Information Science ((CCIS,volume 81))

Abstract

From a logical point of view, vagueness is a problem. It even was called a “philosopher’s nightmare”; it is often only regarded as one of the logical shortcomings of natural languages. But nevertheless, vagueness also has some advantages, especially regarding everyday communication. It already begins in first language acquisition: Here are no sharp boundaries of predicates learned. Thanks to vagueness, we do not have to precisify predicates ad infinitum, we can communicate successfully and efficiently. Vague predicates also take into account the limitations of human perception.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Philosophy, RWTH Aachen University, Eilfschornsteinstr. 16, D-52062, Aachen, Germany

    Nora Kluck

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  1. Nora Kluck
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Fachbereich Mathematik und Informatik, Philipps-Universität Marburg, Marburg, Germany

    Eyke Hüllermeier

  2. Department of Knowledge Processing and Language Engineering, Otto-von-Guericke University of Magdeburg, Universitätsplatz 2, 39106, Magdeburg, Germany

    Rudolf Kruse

  3. Fakultät für Elektrotechnik und Informationstechnik, Technische Universität Dortmund, 44221, Dortmund, (Germany)

    Frank Hoffmann

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Kluck, N. (2010). Some Notes on the Value of Vagueness in Everyday Communication. In: Hüllermeier, E., Kruse, R., Hoffmann, F. (eds) Information Processing and Management of Uncertainty in Knowledge-Based Systems. Applications. IPMU 2010. Communications in Computer and Information Science, vol 81. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-14058-7_35

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-14058-7_35

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-642-14057-0

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-14058-7

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