The Quadranym Database: Wiki & Acquisition 

Human self awareness is a form dependent on the intentional forms we share with others.

— Michael Tomasello

The Q database is a wiki where people can create and edit quadranyms. 

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What are quadranyms?  

Chart A)

Quadranym Examples: (From: Nymology.org)

Topic	Expansive	Reductive	Objective	Subjective
space	infinite	finite	between	void
time	future	past	event	present
distance	far	near	relation	position
direction	there	here	to	from
door	open	close	barrier	passage
container	out	in	full	empty
energy	active	passive	matter	motion
friend	affection	genial	companion	self
reside	move	stay	visit	live
perception	stimuli	select	organize	interpret
logic	proposition	conclusion	evidence	argument
scientific	hypothesis	fact	law	theory
science	prediction	test	analysis	hypothesis

Apply the phrase template (PT) below for each topic layer above:

PT: expansive(E) is dependent on reductive(R) to find the objective(O) of subjective(S) e.g., open is dependent on close to find the barrier of passage.  

Word-Topic: Door

• E = open
• R = close
• O = barrier
• S = passage

A quadranym is the basic unit of a faceted classification scheme. Any topic is analyzed into its component parts beginning with the prime quadranym unit. 

Prime Quadranym Unit: Expansive, Reductive, Objective, Subjective  

The matrix examples provide sufficient general sense relations to the prime quadranym facets e.g., E of space is infinite, R of space is finite, O of space is between, S of space is void. (S is the origin—unmeasured state of interpretation).

Prime Quadranym Representation:

(∀x)  Prime(x) ⟹ [Expansive(subjective) ⊇ Reductive(objective)(x)]

• Subjective = Unmeasured –> Objective = Measure
• Expansive = General –> Reductive = Specific

The task of a unit, given any specific topic, is to find relevant measure.

Set Relations:

• Superset: Expansive(subjective) = general roles.
• Subset: Reductive(objective) = relevant roles.

(Note: Quadranym primes are shown as adjectives pertaining to how the content of each class is to be described  e.g., expansive describes out as a container class inferring out-ness n. Morphological variants apply e.g., Expansion n or Expand v.)

A topic can be a theme-topic (i.e., any text) or a word-topic (i.e., any word).    

Text: I am in the house = about container viewpoints. 

• Viewpoint: house = container (i.e., a=b)

Word-Topic: Container

• E = out
• R = in
• O = full
• S = empty

Text: Pat tries to understand things logically = about logic viewpoints.

• Viewpoint: logic = logic (i.e., a=a)

Word-Topic: Logic

• E = Proposition
• R = Conclusion
• O = Evidence
• S = Argument  

A word-topic such as logic can have several quadranyms — like different word senses. Facets may have synonymic relations e.g., proposition: premise or hypothesis. Quadranyms are not about understanding. They are about orientation and grounding to target an understanding.  Anchor then target.

• An entry consists of the head word (called a word-topic), and the zeropoint word (anchor or source word), and the coordinate word (target word), and two words that define the x and y axes (dependent x and independent y variables). For example: word-topic door | source word passage | target word barrier | dependent word open | independent word close. In this quadranym, for any context of door rendered, the response to open is dependent on close. 

Quadranym Representation:

(∀x)  door(x) ⟹ [Open(passage) ⊇ Close(barrier)(x)]

• The subject passage is predicated on open.
• The subject barrier is predicated on close.
• Superset: Open(passage) = general roles.
• Subset: Close(barrier) = relevant roles.

(Note:  For example,  to vary the utility of door e.g., climate, security privacy — general-open is dependent on relevant-close. See: Quadranym Basics: Chart C ) 

What are quadranyms for?

Basically…

It’s a four term semantic set used to strategically focus on a problem.

• A quadranym offers a way to strategically orient responsiveness. 

A good example of what this looks like is SWOT Analysis.

Strategic Business Assessment: 

• Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats

S.W.O.T. has strategic dimensions to help create business strategies. The analysis helps a company respond efficiently and positively toward growth.

This particular “tetranym” is not based on the prime Q (although it could be parsed into the prime).  We call it a polynym: it can have any number of facets.

• To help us think, we group and divide things. Yin-Yang (2) and Freud’s psyche: id, ego superego (3). They’re idea sets, semantic sets or multi-terms systems. 
• The relationship between term-facets of a Polynym (idea-set) infer strategic points of emphasis to help break down some system, process or phenomena.

The problem that quadranyms focus on is about the best way to orient and respond to written text.  If the word logic is used in a simple sentence like “Pat likes logic” then the machine anchors its responsiveness on a logic quadranym to achieve a logic viewpoint that Pat might also anchor on. The subjective role is argument, the objective role is evidence, the expansive role is proposition, the reductive role is conclusion. This means that one’s response anchors on argument and argument requires evidence. Evidence is the objective. The subjective argument must become objective evidence. To find the evidence for any proposition depends on the conclusion. For example: proposition = 1 is not a prime number nor is it a composite number. Evidence = prime numbers require 2 factors and composite numbers require more than 2. Conclusion = 1 is neither because it has only 1 factor. That factor is 1.

• The orientation for this logic quadranym is, From argument To evidence 

It doesn’t matter if anyone agrees or disagrees with this logic about primes. What matters is how well the quadranym orients the logic topic about primes. Just to be clear, the logic quadranym is not suggesting that a conclusion is necessary before evidence. Conclusion in this quadranym is a mode and a means of measure. It’s a recursive step to reach the objective. 

• Expansive is always dependent on reductive for subjective to find objective.

Quadranym Representation:

(∀x)  logic(x) ⟹ [Proposition(argument) ⊇ Conclusion(evidence)x]

• The subject argument is predicated on proposition.
• The subject evidence is predicated on conclusion.
• Superset: Proposition(argument) = general roles.
• Subset: Conclusion(evidence) = relevant roles.

Summing-up Quadranyms:

The anchor is the subjective role. The target is the objective role. The mode of measure compares expansive and reductive roles.  Expansive is action. Reductive is the measure of action. All quadranyms follow this basic form.

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Design Your Own Quadranyms

Quadranyms are fun to make and useful to have: (Faceted Classification)

Making a quadranym is nothing too tricky and actually fun to do. Choose a term for your topic and the terms for the word-sensibility prime categories:

Word-Topic (x): Expansive (x), Reductive (x), Objective (x), Subjective (x).

Any topic is analyzed into its component parts beginning with the Primes.

My wife came up with a quadranym right after ‘one of those days’ at work:

• Topic: annoy
• E is always potential action (-,+): rouse
• R is always actual measure (+,-): repeat
• O is always potential target (+,+): burden
• S is always actual anchor (-,-): patience

Understanding annoyance is not easy for machines. Communicating annoy is a simple matter between humans because every human experiences it in some way. The idea is to give machines the ability to respond to the meaning. If my wife texted me and says my day at work was annoying the meaning is in the text and then the text evokes my experience. For humans it’s a simple matter of convention based on the semiotic principle of symbols. A human can point to their own experience and say, this is what annoy means, this is what that word stands for. The machine can only learn to respond to the word without any real experience and therefor never really understanding. On some basic levels humans are like this too. We certainly don’t share every experience. So, there is a place where machines can be more human like in the way that they may respond. Humans can change their viewpoints and build off that to appreciate an experience that another has had. This is the approach to the quadranym system. The idea is to reorganize one’s responsive anchors so to appropriately respond to the meaning of textual content. The process involves reassembling viewpoints.

Before we look at how viewpoints change let’s look at what they are.  

(∀x)  Annoy(x) ⟹ [Rouse(patience) ⊇ Repeat(Burden)x]

• Annoy viewpoint: patience is a sufferance targeting things that are burden.
• Mode of targeting burden is active rouse dependent on measurable repeat.

Anchoring Viewpoints:

It is helpful to think of a template like the one below. There are many templates available at nymology.org.  And you can make your own.

The principle of the quadranym: FOR the subjectiveness of any-topic; expansiveness is DEPENDENT on reductiveness to FIND objectiveness.

Simply drop it in the phrase template (like a mad lib)

1. For the patient-ness of annoy
2. rouse-ness is dependent on repeat-ness to find burden-ness

For this topic of annoy, patience seeks its target condition burden

• Patience condition variables e.g., tolerance, restraint, sufferance, endurance. 
• Burden condition target variable i.e., things in the world that are a burden.

The relation is <usedFor> i.e., patience <usedFor> burden causing thing.

Patience is in negative and Burden is in positive for the Annoy topic. Positive is not necessarily good. It means that a potential is in the world. The objective factor links to relevant words such as, itch, noise or co-worker. 

• Rouse is the active potential depending on something actually repeating.

A quadranym is a two step process:

1. Instantiate the generality.
2. Target the relevancy.

In this Annoy topic (q unit), patience is instantiated and burden is targeted.

1. patience is what’s instantiated and unattended.
2. What’s attended and relevant is one’s Burden

Burden is the objective field name where annoying things are clustered.

A quadranym is a topic within a topic. If someone says, “I had an annoying day at work”. A quadranym offerers a rapid way to orient to the statement.

Now here is what makes a quadranym interesting. After reading, one may anchor their response to the word annoy on the word patience. However, quadranyms create scripts. So, if patience is the anchor and targets burden and its annoying potentials like, drippy faucet or another person then burden can become a new anchor and find its own target. The script can continue or cycle back where burden targets patience. The trick is to create the right closed loop system for the task (i.e., script forward or cycle back algorithms.).

Maybe there are more pressing things to attend to like important goals. In this case, the cycle is a layer that is pushed down an and less attended to.

Burden can be the anchor and target patience. A quick closed loop cycle. Patience now has all the target variables for the topic. Or, burden can target a new objective with its own set of variables creating a longer cycle.

Scripts reassemble viewpoints. New anchors are created through Scripts.

• [patience –> burden]<find>[burden –> patience]<or>[burden –> relief]

Annoy Quadranym with Modes:

[Rouse(patience) –> Repeat(burden)<find>[Rouse(burden –> Repeat(x)]

Either script forward or cycle back to create a closed loop system length.

Term-dimensions are like centroids that other terms cluster around.

Next we’ll look more closely at what each distinct dimension represents. 

Quadranym Basics

Quadranyms are Orientations.

A quadranym is a way to target topics. Its database is like a thesaurus.

• Every quadranym is given a word-topic name, it’s like a head word.
• Every quadranym has four facets under its name, it’s like the body. 

If you include the name of the quadranym it is actually a pentanym.

Quadranym Prime Dimensions:

The Adjective Dimensions: Expansive, Reductive, Objective, Subjective

There are two dimensions describing default state conditions:

• Subjective, Objective (noun: subject, object)

There are two dimensions describing default modes of measure.

• Expansive, Reductive (verb: expand, reduce)

Adjective dimensions mean related in this instance. It is a loose classification.

Dimensions below show action classes. It means, that act. 

• Expansion Mode (n) {going v}, Reduction Mode (n) {coming v} 

Dimensions below show being classes. It means, that being:

• Objective State (n) {destination n}, Subjective State (n) {traveler n} 

Modes relate to actions and states relate to being.

Generic Quadranym Dimensions or Primes:

• Mode Classes: Expansive adj, Expand v, (-,+) ⊇ Reductive adj, Reduce v, (+,-)
• State Classes: Subjective adj, Subject n,  (-,-) ⊇ Objective adj, Object n,  (+,+)

Quadranyms can be structured in a free form design or what what we call a conjugal design,  where a state is always a noun and mode is always a verb.

• Topic: Transfer:[E = move v, R = put v, O =  location n, = S Item n]
• (∀x)  transfer(x) ⟹ [Move(item) ⊇ Put(location)(x)] (energy realm.)

Each dimension collects and clusters terms fitting its description.

1. Expansive mode adj: a condition of quantity i.e., the expansiveness n.
2. Reductive mode adj: a condition of quantity i.e., the reductiveness n.
3. Objective state adj: a condition of quality i.e., the objectiveness n.
4. Subjective state adj: a condition of quality i.e., the subjectiveness n.

Since the quadranym is about the orientation of an autonomous or acting agent, subjective is the description given to all the orientational factors.  

• Subjectiveness is about invariable factors anchoring for relevant variables.

Basic Distinct Description of Each Dimension:

1. Expansive mode: Active.
2. Reductive mode: Measure. 
3. Objective state: Becoming.
4. Subjective state: Being.

Below offers a few more ways to think about the Prime Dimensions.

1. Expansive mode: Active-Potential, Positive (sometimes negative)
2. Reductive mode: Passive-Actual, Negative (sometimes positive).
3. Objective state: Passive-Potential, Positive (always positive).
4. Subjective state: Active-Actual, Negative (always negative)

Active generally refers to agents working with energy to align to the world. Passive aptly refers to that which affords agents alignment with the world.

More Info at bottom of page on – and +: Modes Can Switch Polarity. Also, check out section six for how quadranyms model responding to the world.

As already stated, a quadranym is a two step process:

1. Instantiate the generality.
2. Target the relevancy.

It’s the same process for both, figurative and literal interpretations.

Examples:

SPACE: infinite, finite, between, void

1. Generality: For the emptiness of SPACE;
2. Relevancy: infinite is dependent on finite to find between.

TIME: future, past, event, present

1. Generality: For the nowness of TIME;
2. Relevancy: future is dependent on past to find event.

DISTANCE: far, near, relation, position

1. Generality: For the position-ness of DISTANCE;
2. Relevancy: far is dependent on near to find relation.

Quadranym Representation Examples: 

Word-Topic: Space(x)

For all x, If  x is space, Then x is:

• Mode Sets: Expand = infinite ⊇ Reduce = finite
• State Sets:  Subject = void  ⊇ Object = between

Shorthand:

1) Word-Topic: Space(x)

• (∀x)  space(x) ⟹ [Infinite(void) ⊇ Finite(between)(x)]

2) Word-Topic: Time(x)

• (∀x)  time(x) ⟹ [Future(present) ⊇ Past(event)(x)]

3) Word-Topic: Agent(x)

• (∀x)  agent(x) ⟹ [Active(self) ⊇ Passive(goal)(x)] 

4) Word-Topic: Mental(x)

• (∀x)  mental(x) ⟹ [Unknown(knower) ⊇ Known(knowable)(x)]

5) Word-Topic: Locomotion(x)

• (∀x)  locomotion(x) ⟹ [Move(position) ⊇ Stay(place)(x)]

6) Word-Topic: Door(x)

• (∀x)  door(x) ⟹ [Open(passage) ⊇ Close(barrier)(x)]

A quadranym clusters terms in a way that fits its topic.

Active Prime: Expansion n, Reduction n, Objective n, Subjective n

Reference Frames:

Below is a Spatial System and Dynamic Hierarchy

Chart B)

Prime Dimensions (adjectives):  Expansive, Reductive, Objective, Subjective

Word-Topic (headword)	Expand        (y axis)	Reduce        (x axis)	Object  (coordinates)	Subject  (zeropoint)
Space	infinite	finite	between	void
Time	future	past	event	present
Distance	far	near	relation	position
Direction	there	here	to	from
Container	out	in	full	empty
Door	open	close	barrier	passage

Quadranym Reference frames can be used to model a topic.

Chart C)

Reference Frame Model e.g., Door

Chart D)

Consider an eat quadranym: [sate y, starve x, food vectors, hungry zeropoint] 

Data: Like a head-word in a dictionary has different word senses, a word-topic in the database has different quadranyms (quadranym = word sense).

• A word-topic is a realm of quadranyms. May involve one or more domains.
• A domain is a general component e.g., spatial, temporal, social, emotional.

Below, different (word sense) quadranyms for the word-topic eat.

Chart E)

Apply the principle phrasal template to each quadranym.

The weights above represent the frequency of use. There are relationships between quadranyms e.g., food, substance, resource, material are all targets. 

• The quadranym wiki is like a thesaurus.

A quadranym collects and clusters terms in a way that fits its system.

The Quadranym Wiki:

Data Holds the Key: A word-topic is more than just a quadranym unit. The quadranym unit addresses the basic dimensions involved. Still, additional contextual inferences are required by all word-topic realms. A realm contains a knowledge graph that allows word-topics to adapt to different contexts.

• A wiki allows users to collaborate and modify data. 
• Domains and realms can be specialized data projects.
• The goal is interoperability between data projects.

Discrete systems with distinct topical orientations can be developed. Discrete systems work together to improve the word-topic data. Topical interoperability is the ability to adopt or reject the topical orientations of other systems. Competitive performance comparisons advance schemes.

                                                               Users upload and edit quadranyms. 

• There can be a list of quadranyms for any one Topic.

 Metaphysics for Machines

The Mereology of Word-Sensibility

The Importance of Half Truths:

Quadranyms may seem almost mystical in a way but they are not and are not even true. Quadranym units are half truths and biases. We don’t mean the negative connotation of bias. Bias is good in terms of quadranyms.  It is a way to orient and seek more. It is a way to view a problem and imagine new possible solutions. A bias in these terms is not something that divides us but something that unites us because one can share their viewpoints with another. A bias is simply one’s point of view. This kind of bias affords human cooperation. The first part is bias but the second part is finding the truth. Human communication depends on sharing viewpoints to target truth.

The Business of Designing Quadranyms:

There are many ways to go about designing quadranyms. The quadranym paradigm has any number of possibilities. Constraints are good but the quadranym primes offer more possibilities then constraints. This means that the designer of a quadranym must apply their own constraints. To help with a little guidance, quadranyms do have a basic maxim cast in two parts.

The Quadranym Maxim for Word-Sensibility:

1. Space: Expansive is dependent on reductive to find spatial measure.
2. Time: Subjective is the zero-point for objective temporal measure. 

Gloss:

• Humans are engaged in measures grounded mostly in time and space.
• These measures are the means to orient basic human goals and intentions.

The notions of variability, invariability, measure and sensibility: 

The maxim is a useful way to think about how machine systems can learn the word-sensibility basics for how events are viewed, as human experience. A temporal measure begins at the press of a button on a stop watch. The temporal event becomes objective when the stop watch is pressed again. On the other hand,  like we transition space, we transition time. Space is our mode of measure for both space and time. Still, space is an event because time makes it an event. Time is the process of being and becoming. This is a constant, a constant that anchors the empathic awareness of human goals. 

The spatial part is pretty simple and straight forward. The task of assigning invariability is placed on the notion of (more or less) reductive space. The task of assigning variability is placed on the notion of (more or less) expansive space. What’s variable or invariable is not as straight forward for the temporal part because variable events are the objectivity of time. The idea is that the invariability of time is not about events. Events are variables of time. Invariable time is you now. Past and future events don’t exist in the continuum of time. They exist in the nowness of the ones who measure time. 

The Two Directions of Toward-ness: Something & Nothing 

Consider this spatial viewpoint: reductiveness is a subset of expansiveness. Expansiveness holds everything away from nothing. It is inside of nothing. That is to say, expansiveness is toward nothing. There is no set outside of expansiveness but nothing. Reductiveness is always toward something because it is essentially the subset of everything that expansiveness holds.

• Polarities are at the root of human organization. Like empty space and all thats in it, expansiveness is toward nothing and everything else. Like the atom of ordinary matter, reductiveness is toward something and nothing else.

The negative symbol (-) has two different meanings in word-sensibility. For reductiveness, it always means something and never really means nothing.

• Reductiveness can designate zero as it is a thing, an empty class.

For expansiveness, negative means nothing and never means something.

• Only expansiveness can ever designate absolute nothing — no thing at all.

Consider every viewpoint as having some point beyond it that cannot be referenced. For instance, it may be helpful to imagine nested Russian dolls, each doll can reference dolls it contains but not the doll that may contain it.

• Quadranyms represent layered viewpoints for hierarchical structures.

Modes Can Switch Polarity.

Poles: People have asked why expansive and reductive are used instead of positive and negative. This is because expansive and reductive can be both either negative or positive. Expansive is positive inside any realm and is negative outside any realm. Reductive is negative inside any realm and is positive outside any realm. A sense of spatial change can be assigned to one or the other mode, or as a contrast or compliment to each other. In terms of the latter, expansive is by default positive and reductive is by default negative. Subjective is always negative (-) and objective is always positive (+).

The quadranym part-whole spatial relations

• expansive = (+ or -) inclusiveness
• reductive = (+ or -) exclusiveness.
• expansive = (+ or -) wholeness
• reductive = (+ or -) separateness

The Polarities of In and Out 

1. more expansiveness: increase positive (in) = decrease negative (out)
2. less expansiveness: decrease positive (in) = increase negative (out)
3. more reductiveness: increase negative (in) = decrease positive (out)
4. less reductiveness: decrease negative (in) = increase positive (out)

Actual-Potential for Negative Categories

1. more expansiveness: decrease negative (out) = potential category
2. less expansiveness: increase negative (out) = potential category
3. more reductiveness: increase negative (in) = actual category
4. less reductiveness: decrease negative (in) = actual category

The Agent’s Sense of Causality:

Finding truth is a debugging process. Quadranyms are about sensibility. Logic is about reason. Reason intervenes with sensibility to find truth. 

Schopenhauer on Space, Time, Causality and Matter: A Physical Re-examination (Shahen Hacyan)

• “According to empiricism, we learn that a certain effect has such and such a cause only by experience. Schopenhauer, on the contrary, argued that causality is a form of understanding given a priori: the fact that we always associate a cause to an effect is an innate process.”

We agree that associating cause to an effect is an innate process but do not agree that it is understanding, rather, it is a process toward understanding.

The innate sense for processing causality is represented in quadranyms.

6 relationships for environment-alignment toward understanding:

1. Proposition: E + O (i.e., potential condition)
2. Conclusion: S + R (i.e., actual condition)
3. Cause: E + S (i.e., active power)
4. Effect: O + R (i.e.,  passive power)
5. Space: E + R (i.e., mode of measure)
6. Time: S + O (i.e., state of being)

Active & Passive Power:

Active refers to autonomous power. Passive is a sub-variant of this power.

• The active condition receives power from the environment.
• The passive condition requires power from the active condition.
• Passive power is equal to the organism’s environmental alignment.
• Agent is able to exploit affordances when aligned to the environment.
• Active is working to align and passive is aligned with no work or thought.

Above does not represent understanding, it represents responsiveness. It is important to make this distinction. The process targets understanding but is not itself any understanding. Understanding aptly recognizes alignments.

• e.g., sensing is not understanding but the ability to begin understanding.

The Takeaway:

• The Quadranym represents the innate impulse to align with the world. 

See section three to see how quadranyms are parsed into text.  

• Section 3. The Machine: An Ecological Systems Perspective

Model

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