1. New York State Center of Excellence in Bioinformatics & Life Sciences R T U Discovery Seminar 175555/UE 141 M – Fall 2008 Solving Crimes using Referent Tracking Definitions of ‘killing’ September 24, 2008 Werner CEUSTERS Center of Excellence in Bioinformatics and Life Sciences Ontology Research Group University at Buffalo, NY, USA

2. New York State Center of Excellence in Bioinformatics & Life Sciences R T U You remember: ‘to define something’ is … At term-level: –To provide the conditions under which one is allowed in a community to use the term to denote some entity At type-level: –To provide the characteristics that distinguish entities of the type from entities of other types At entity-level: –To provide the characteristics that allow one to determine whether the entity is of a certain type linguistics ontology epistemology

3. New York State Center of Excellence in Bioinformatics & Life Sciences R T U An example: the body of a dead person Linguistics: –a corps, a dead body, a stiff, the remains, … Ontology: –a human body of which the brain irreversibly ceased to function Epistemology: –Separation of head from body –Complete destruction of head –Deprived from oxygen for at least 15 minutes under an ambient temperature of at least 60°F

4. New York State Center of Excellence in Bioinformatics & Life Sciences R T U Good definitions Give an if-and-only-if condition for when an entity satisfies that definition One type of good definitions: Aristotelian definitions An X is a Y which C where ‘Y which C’ satisfies the if-and-only-if condition

5. New York State Center of Excellence in Bioinformatics & Life Sciences R T U Good definitions A B types particulars Instance-of extension of Aextension of B

6. New York State Center of Excellence in Bioinformatics & Life Sciences R T U Bad definitions (1) A B types particulars Instance-of Non- discriminatory Too narrow Too vague

7. New York State Center of Excellence in Bioinformatics & Life Sciences R T U Bad definitions (2): fantology A B types particulars Instance-of

8. New York State Center of Excellence in Bioinformatics & Life Sciences R T U Bad definitions for dead body Circular ones: –A dead body is a body that is dead With arbitrary characteristics: –A dead body is my father’s grandmother Too narrow ones: –The body of a person that was killed Too broad ones: –The body of a person whose heart stopped functioning Irrational ones, based on beliefs or faith: –The body of a person who is now in heaven

9. New York State Center of Excellence in Bioinformatics & Life Sciences R T U How to apply this to previous homework ?

10. New York State Center of Excellence in Bioinformatics & Life Sciences R T U The killing of Senator Huey Long On September 9th, 1935, Carl Austin Weiss shot Senator Huey Long in the Louisiana State Capitol with a.35 calibre pistol. Long died from this wound thirty hours later on September 10th. Weiss, on the other hand, received between thirty- two and sixty.44 and.45 calibre hollow point bullets from Long's agitated bodyguards and died immediately. »Sorensen, R., 1985, "Self-Deception and Scattered Events", Mind, 94: 64-69.

11. New York State Center of Excellence in Bioinformatics & Life Sciences R T U Students found 4 distinct meanings for ‘killing’ time Weiss’ shooting of Long Carl Weiss’ living Bodyguards’shooting of Weiss Weiss’s path. body reactions Long’s pathological body reactions Senator Long’s living k1 k2 k3 k4

12. New York State Center of Excellence in Bioinformatics & Life Sciences R T U Last Homework Several students gave distinct descriptions of what they understood “killing” to be. Plot the 4 distinctions shown on the next slide on the semantic triangle, PLUS one other description that you find in some dictionary. –This means: give for each meaning a definition which is such that: There is only one interpretation possible For each event which might be a killing, at least one of the definitions is applicable DUE: Monday 15, before 10 PM, by email as usual.

13. New York State Center of Excellence in Bioinformatics & Life Sciences R T U Overall assessment Quite disappointing ! (with exceptions) –Insufficient number of definitions –Many bad definitions –No relationship given with the semantic triangle Some tips: –Read assignment carefully –Ask me for clarifications if needed –Take more notes during the class –Download slides from the blackboard

14. New York State Center of Excellence in Bioinformatics & Life Sciences R T U S12 What is killing? However in this situation the meaning killing can be varied in many ways but there is only one way. The word killing can be described as someone dying. In the dictionary Killing is defined as to put to death. Did long die when the first bullet hit, at the end of the last bullet, during his body reaction or when he was medically dead. long was killed after he suffered the wounds to body. So in reality the meaning of killing in this situation was when he was put to death which occurs in killing 4. 5%

15. New York State Center of Excellence in Bioinformatics & Life Sciences R T U S4 K1: This is the attempted killing of Senator Long, the killing process begins K2: This is when the injuries from the shooting begin, the killing process continues K3: This appears to be the actual killing and death of Weiss, and the continual killing process of Long K4: This is the final step in the killing process, Senator Long dies, finalizing the kill K5: definition: to deprive of life in any manner; cause the death of; slay. This is saying to deprive of live in any manner, so by this definition Weiss killed Long when he first shot him and deprived his life NOTE: Deprive: to take something away and keep it away 10%

16. New York State Center of Excellence in Bioinformatics & Life Sciences R T U S10 1. meaning - the act of killing is when someone dies because of the act of someone else. 2. language - if killing is used to mean when the person died then wiess did not kill long, but if it is used for the cause of death then he did. 3. reality - wiess killed long because he is the one that shot him. dictionary definition: killing - To put to death. To deprive of life –http://dictionary.reference.com/ 10%

17. New York State Center of Excellence in Bioinformatics & Life Sciences R T U S1 Long's killing occurred 1. while Weiss was shooting him 2. once all the shots were fired at him 3. while he wounded (during his bodily reactions) 4. when he actually died Dictionary definition of Killing: to deprive of life in any manner; cause the death of 15%

18. New York State Center of Excellence in Bioinformatics & Life Sciences R T U S1 (continued)

19. New York State Center of Excellence in Bioinformatics & Life Sciences R T U S3 15%

20. New York State Center of Excellence in Bioinformatics & Life Sciences R T U Bad dictionaries do exist Don’t trust the web Retrieved from http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/Killing http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/Killing Sept 16, 2008, 11.12 AM

21. New York State Center of Excellence in Bioinformatics & Life Sciences R T U S11 K1 is when Weiss is shooting Long, this i believe is the act of killing in "reality." It is when the process took place. K2 would fall under the word killing category this is used to describe what happened. K3: a fourth category independent of the semiotic triangle, the death at a biological standpoint and the process behind this. I think we can categorize this in a scientific point of view; the organs failing, temperature falling etc. K4 is when Long is pronounced dead by a medical professional 30 hours later, this is the meaning of killing. 20%

22. New York State Center of Excellence in Bioinformatics & Life Sciences R T U S8 It appears that the corner of the triangle titled "meaning of killing" can be appropriately applied to all five distinctions. The whole point of this assignment is dissecting the controversy produced around this topic. Distinction #1: The killing occurs only at the point when the victim actually dies. Regardless of the state of the murderer at this point in time, the blame is automatically pinned on him for the murder due to the fact that the victim died. This distinction would occupy the corner of the triangle titled meaning of "killing." No one is killed until someone dies. Distinction #2: The killing is initiated at the point of assault and ends when the victim dies. This leaves a time frame that could be days in some cases where the victim is gradually being "killed." Distinction #3: The killing is initiated and completed at the point where the bullets make contact with the victim's body. Even though the victim is not pronounced dead at this point in time, a series of events will transcend that ultimately condemn him/her due to wounds and pathological processes. So, the person might as well be considered dead, though still living. If the victim survives, the killing aspect is downgraded to severely injured. Distinction #4: The killing begins and is completed in a very short period of time, that being the time of assault. As soon as the attack is over, the "action" of killing has been completed, even though no one was necessary killed yet. So, in that regard, someone killed without yet sealing the deal, or actually killing. This would fall on the triangle under the corner titled "an act of killing." Dictionary Definition: Killing (to kill)- to essentially cause the death of; to deprive of life. This is a very generic decision that can be applied to three of the four provided distinctions above. 20%

23. New York State Center of Excellence in Bioinformatics & Life Sciences R T U S14 20%

24. New York State Center of Excellence in Bioinformatics & Life Sciences R T U S2 Dictionary: 1) to deprive of life in any manner; cause the death of; slay 2) to destroy; do away with; extinguish. K1: specifies its timing as the time when execution of an action happens (in other words, attempt is made). Disregarding the consequences that action, by committing it, the person is ‘killing’. Kill refers to the action of attempt if anything. An example is Dr. Weiss and Senator Long’s case. When Weiss pulled that trigger; he ‘killed’ Long, although the actual death did not happen until much later. K2: suggests that the time victim is injured, regardless of its result, the action is considered ‘killing’. By implanting a potential causation factor for pathological reaction, he or she is ‘killing’ the victim. For instance, suppose a man stabs another man with a Swiss Army Knife. Regardless of seriousness of the injury, the man has just ‘killed’ the victim by providing possible cause for his death. K3: suggests the time period when pathological reaction is in process is the time of the ‘killing’. So by his or her definition, the killer ‘kills’ the victim by causing an injury that will kill the victim eventually. Therefore, it is correctly assume that killing is actually a two-step process. For instance, a surgeon makes a mistake during surgical procedure that causes injury. The wound is fatal and the patient eventually falls in a shock from loss of blood. The patient dies afterwards. Although the surgeon did not directly kill the victim, he still caused the injury that killed the patient later. Therefore it is the surgeon who ‘killed’ the patient. K4: ‘Killing’ only occurs when the death happens (which will give rise to a problem of ‘victim killed by a dead man’ from previous assignment). Suppose a man was robbed and was injured while struggling against the robber. The wound was fatal, if neglected will cause the death of the man for certain. However, the man was fortunate enough to have a passer-by use his or her Good Samaritan spirit to call 9-1-1 for him. The man survives. By the last student definition, the man was not killed because the ‘death’ has not happened. 90%

25. New York State Center of Excellence in Bioinformatics & Life Sciences R T U S7 K1: “Killing” is the act of causing fatal injuries to the victim –Example: A person is killed by a mugger who stabs the victim in order to secure time to run away. The killing happens when the stabbing does. K2: “Killing” is what happens after a person is fatally injured and just before the body’s pathological reactions (causing death) occur –Example: Bobby is hit in the head with a baseball bat. He falls into a coma and then dies one week later. The killing occurred when he was hit. K3: “Killing” is when the pathological body reactions that result from fatal injuries end in the person’s death –Example: Jane is in a car accident with a drunk driver and bleeds to death from her injuries. The killing occurs as she loses the blood. K4: “Killing” is the death of a person in a case where the death was caused by another person who knowingly caused fatal injuries –Example: Billy, a soldier, is shot while fighting in a war. The person who shot him knew that the shot would kill Billy and still pulled the trigger. Dictionary: “Killing” is “To cause death or extinction; be fatal.” –Example: Joy pushes Claire off of a cliff. Claire dies immediately upon hitting the ground. She was therefore killed by Joy because the fall resulted in her death. –Citation: killing. (n.d.). The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Retrieved September 11, 2008, from Dictionary.com website: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/killing 95%

26. New York State Center of Excellence in Bioinformatics & Life Sciences R T U S5 99%

27. New York State Center of Excellence in Bioinformatics & Life Sciences R T U New homework: try again, using what you learned today and last week ! Several students gave distinct descriptions of what they understood “killing” to be. Plot the 4 distinctions shown on the next slide on the semantic triangle, PLUS one other description that you find in some dictionary. –This means: give for each meaning an Aristotelian definition which is such that: There is only one interpretation possible For each event which might be a killing, at least one of the definitions is applicable DUE: Monday Sept 29, before 10 PM, by email as usual.