Word
referential opacity
Definition
n. a linguistic puzzle where swapping two words that mean the same thing changes whether a sentence is true.
n. a semantic property of linguistic contexts in which substituting co-referential expressions (terms referring to the same object) can alter the truth value of the proposition.
Examples
“Believing that Superman saved the day shows referential opacity if someone does not know that Superman is Clark Kent.”
“Knowledge graphs must navigate referential opacity when modeling what specific agents believe versus objective reality.”
“Epistemic logic incorporates modal operators to formalize referential opacity, preventing automated theorem provers from drawing fallacious substitutions.”
Examples
simple
“Believing that Superman saved the day shows referential opacity if someone does not know that Superman is Clark Kent.”
contextual
“Knowledge graphs must navigate referential opacity when modeling what specific agents believe versus objective reality.”
complex
“Epistemic logic incorporates modal operators to formalize referential opacity, preventing automated theorem provers from drawing fallacious substitutions.”
Real-World Examples
“The problem of referential opacity is to explain why a certain inference rule of classical logic sometimes produces invalid-seeming inferences when applied to ascriptions of mental states.” Etymology
Coined in 1953 by American philosopher and logician Willard Van Orman Quine in 'From a Logical Point of View', contrasting with referential transparency.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Domains
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/referential-opacity