The hottest Semantics Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
Category
Top Philosophy Topics

Oudépote Legomenon

Orbis Tertius • 129 implied HN points • 10 Feb 26
📖 Philosophy Semantics
  1. A hapax legomenon is a word recorded only once, but the bigger the corpus you check the fewer true hapaxes there are, and publishing a supposedly unique word instantly removes its uniqueness.
  2. If you count any sequence of words as a hapax, entire texts or novels can be unique, yet copying or embedding those texts undoes that uniqueness, so only lost or never-transcribed works could truly be one-offs.
  3. An oudépote legomenon is something never written, and more generally there are things never conceived, but as soon as you write or conceive them they stop being 'never', so you can never point to a concrete example.

Thank You, Goodbye and Good Luck!

davidj.substack • 143 implied HN points • 31 Jul 25
🕹 Technology Semantics
  1. Today is the author's last day at Cube and he expresses gratitude to his colleagues and investors. He feels fortunate to be in a good position and reflects on his time there.
  2. He believes in the importance and future of semantic layers in data management, which are getting better as AI technology develops. Many major cloud platforms now have their own semantic layers.
  3. The author wonders if semantic layers can operate in the background without needing constant human oversight. He is excited to see how these technologies will evolve and improve.

Nearly Headless BI

davidj.substack • 59 implied HN points • 25 Jun 25
🕹 Technology Semantics
  1. Snowflake and Databricks are using a semantic layer, which helps make data easier to understand and access. This is a shift from older methods that relied heavily on text-based commands.
  2. The rise of AI has changed what businesses need from their analytics tools. Now, having a semantic layer is a must for companies that want to stay competitive in agentic analytics.
  3. Headless business intelligence is fading away as companies now blend traditional analytics with smarter, AI-driven tools. This could change how data warehouses and BI tools work together in the future.

Prosaic Enjambment

The Elbow • 39 implied HN points • 09 Jul 23
📚 Literature Semantics
  1. Enjambment is a technique in writing where a thought is split between lines or structural units for reading flow.
  2. Enjambment is not only found in poetry, but also in other mediums like film and music, enhancing the flow of storytelling.
  3. Enjambment can be applied in non-poetic writing, such as prose, by strategically breaking up paragraphs or sentences to create suspense and flow.

Interpretability of theories

Infinitely More • 17 implied HN points • 11 Jan 25
📖 Philosophy Semantics
  1. You can understand one theory by interpreting it through another theory. This means translating ideas from one set of concepts to another.
  2. Interpreting theories involves a consistent method to show how one theory fits within the framework of another. It connects the ideas and structures from both.
  3. The host theory provides a detailed explanation of how the interpreted theory operates, using only its own language and concepts. This helps clarify the relationships between different theories.
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A defense of ethical subjectivism

Philosophy bear • 71 implied HN points • 28 Jun 23
📖 Philosophy Semantics
  1. Ethical subjectivism argues that moral statements reflect individual values or the values a better version of oneself would hold.
  2. Speaker subjectivism provides reasons for moral actions based on what a better version of oneself would want.
  3. Speaker-subjectivist semantics offer benefits like explaining moral truths, guiding moral debates, and accounting for confidence in moral beliefs.

A formal language for first-order predicate logic

Infinitely More • 15 implied HN points • 02 Mar 24
🚌 Education Semantics
  1. A formal language for first-order predicate logic involves understanding the basic syntax, terms, variables, and structure interpretations.
  2. Signatures in structures specify the elements like relations, functions, and constants in a mathematical structure, detailing their features and meanings.
  3. Mathematics uses a wide array of first-order structures to study various concepts like orders, graphs, groups, and more, unifying different mathematical investigations.

Chaos train and monkey madness—fun with quantifiers

Infinitely More • 12 implied HN points • 19 Feb 24
🚌 Education Semantics
  1. First-order predicate logic provides a formal language and semantics capable of expressing fine distinctions and shades of meaning.
  2. Understanding quantifiers, such as ∃ and ∀, is crucial in first-order logic as they allow one to make statements like 'there is an x such that φ' or 'every x has property φ.'
  3. Engaging in logic puzzles and practice can help in developing a deeper comprehension of first-order logic concepts and their applications.

A theory of truth

Infinitely More • 5 implied HN points • 07 Mar 24
📖 Philosophy Semantics
  1. Truth in a structure is defined by recursion on sentences, reducing to assertions with temporary assignments of variables
  2. The concept of valuation in a model involves assigning variables to specific individuals, treating them as constants in that context
  3. Tarski's disquotational theory of truth posits that an assertion is true when the proposition it asserts is true, forming the foundation of a compositional theory of truth

Sense, Reference, and "What is a Woman?"

Ethics Under Construction • 2 HN points • 03 Mar 24
🎭️ Culture Semantics
  1. Language is complex and words can have multiple meanings depending on context. Understanding the sense and reference of words is crucial.
  2. The concept of 'woman' can have different meanings based on social or biological contexts. Recognizing these different senses is important for productive discussions.
  3. Biological sex may be irrelevant in many situations, but there are contexts, like athletics, where it remains important. Balancing different senses of 'woman' is key to resolving debates about gender identity.

Modified Axiom To Include Domains: Language Use In Communal Practices, And Semantic Intentionality Part 1: The Dialogue

Autodidact Obsessions • 0 implied HN points • 12 Feb 24
📖 Philosophy Semantics
  1. The post discusses the reimagined scene symbolizing Husserl and Wittgenstein's victory over post-structuralist thought.
  2. The author integrates notions of semantic intention and private vs. public language into a comprehensive format.
  3. The dialogue with ChatGPT-4 reveals the author's struggle with interface problems and the need for specific inquiry to achieve desired outcomes.