Toward a Vector-Based Representation of Dispositions

Abstract

Dispositions are properties that can manifest under certain conditions. Their manifestations may create new conditions under which further dispositions can manifest. Thus, the manifestation and activation of dispositions have been described as making the world “tick,” like a clock. Representing dispositions is essential for modeling how their bearers change through time and, therefore, for representing events. However, dispositions rarely work alone: in many cases, the changes undergone by some entity are determined by many interacting dispositions. Nevertheless, dispositions are usually characterized by stimulus-manifestation pairs. This kind of definition provides little information regarding what happens when multiple dispositions manifest simultaneously. Even in cases that we can describe with mathematical models, we lack tools to connect the mathematical and ontological models. We propose a method to represent dispositions by associating them with vectors over quality dimensions. These vectors indicate the direction and intensity of the change that a quality will undergo when the disposition manifests. The interaction between distinct dispositions is a function of their vectors. Thus, we are able to connect mathematical modeling of phenomena to an ontology that supports reasoning using inference tools. Finally, we apply our proposal in modeling oil flow inside a reservoir in the petroleum production domain.