I think the concept of words as similarity clusters warrants an extension for another sort of usage, where the category's prototype exists as a component of a larger conceptual model, and the word is used to evoke the relationships of that model to other domains.
The example I would point to is the word "tree" which, when literally used refers to a cluster of biological organisms, like humans in the example. A tree also exists as a concept in computer science, a data structure with certain qualities.
A simple dismissal could say that these are just separate ... (read more)
I think the concept of words as similarity clusters warrants an extension for another sort of usage, where the category's prototype exists as a component of a larger conceptual model, and the word is used to evoke the relationships of that model to other domains.
The example I would point to is the word "tree" which, when literally used refers to a cluster of biological organisms, like humans in the example. A tree also exists as a concept in computer science, a data structure with certain qualities.
A simple dismissal could say that these are just separate ... (read more)