Domain of discourse

In the formal sciences, the domain of discourse, also called the universe of discourse (or simply universe), is the set of entities over which certain variables of interest in some formal treatment may range. The domain of discourse is usually identified in the preliminaries, so that there is no need in the further treatment to specify each time the range of the relevant variables.

For example, in an interpretation of first-order logic, the domain of discourse is the set of individuals that the quantifiers range over. In one interpretation, the domain of discourse could be the set of real numbers; in another interpretation, it could be the set of natural numbers. If no domain of discourse has been identified, a proposition such as ∀x (x² ≠ 2) is ambiguous. If the domain of discourse is the set of real numbers, the proposition is false, with x = √2 as counterexample; if the domain is the set of naturals, the proposition is true, since 2 is not the square of any natural number.

The term universe of discourse generally refers to the collection of objects being discussed in a specific discourse. In model-theoretical semantics, a universe of discourse is the set of entities that a model is based on. The term universe of discourse is generally attributed to Augustus De Morgan (1846) and was also used by George Boole (1854) in his Laws of Thought.

A database is a model of some aspect of the reality of an organisation. It is conventional to call this reality the "universe of discourse" or "domain of discourse".^{[citation needed]}

See also

• Universe (mathematics)
• Term algebra
• Domain (mathematics)
• Domain theory
• Interpretation (logic)

This logic-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.v · Categories: Semantics Predicate logic Logic stubs Wikimedia Foundation. 2010. Игры ⚽ Нужно сделать НИР? Municipalities of Finland Green Park Look at other dictionaries: domain of discourse — noun In predicate logic, an indication of the relevant set of entities that are being dealt with by quantifiers. Syn: universe of discourse See Also: context …   Wiktionary Domain — may refer to: General Territory (administrative division), a non sovereign geographic area which has come under the authority of another government Public domain, a body of works and knowledge without proprietary interest Eminent domain, the… …   Wikipedia Domain — Do*main , n. [F. domaine, OF. demaine, L. dominium, property, right of ownership, fr. dominus master, owner. See {Dame}, and cf {Demesne}, {Dungeon}.] 1. Dominion; empire; authority. [1913 Webster] 2. The territory over which dominion or… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English Domain knowledge — is that valid knowledge used to refer to an area of human endeavour, an autonomous computer activity, or other specialized discipline. Specialists and experts use and develop their own domain knowledge. If the concept domain knowledge or domain… …   Wikipedia in the public domain — Domain Do*main , n. [F. domaine, OF. demaine, L. dominium, property, right of ownership, fr. dominus master, owner. See {Dame}, and cf {Demesne}, {Dungeon}.] 1. Dominion; empire; authority. [1913 Webster] 2. The territory over which dominion or… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English Public domain — Domain Do*main , n. [F. domaine, OF. demaine, L. dominium, property, right of ownership, fr. dominus master, owner. See {Dame}, and cf {Demesne}, {Dungeon}.] 1. Dominion; empire; authority. [1913 Webster] 2. The territory over which dominion or… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English Right of eminent domain — Domain Do*main , n. [F. domaine, OF. demaine, L. dominium, property, right of ownership, fr. dominus master, owner. See {Dame}, and cf {Demesne}, {Dungeon}.] 1. Dominion; empire; authority. [1913 Webster] 2. The territory over which dominion or… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English universe of discourse — noun The set of all entities over which quantifiers including for all and there exists range. Syn: domain of discourse …   Wiktionary Critical discourse analysis — (CDA) is an interdisciplinary approach to the study of discourse that views language as a form of social practice and focuses on the ways social and political domination are visible in text and talk.[1] Since Norman Fairclough s Language and… …   Wikipedia Preliminary Discourse to the Encyclopedia of Diderot — The Preliminary Discourse to the Encyclopedia of Diderot ( Discours Préliminaire des Éditeurs ) is the primer to Denis Diderot s Encyclopédie ou Dictionnaire raisonné des sciences, des arts et des métiers, par une Société de Gens de lettres , a… …   Wikipedia 18+ © Academic, 2000-2024 Contact us: Technical Support, Advertising Dictionaries export, created on PHP, Joomla, Drupal, WordPress, MODx. Mark and share Search through all dictionaries Translate… Search Internet Share the article and excerpts Direct link … Do a right-click on the link above and select “Copy Link”