The Logic Of Semantic Content

If is an instance of semantic content as understood in this paper, then: 1. consists of one or more data; 2. the data in are well-formed; 3. the well-formed data in are meaningful. So data are the stuff of which semantic content is made; semantic content cannot be dataless, but, in the simplest case, it can consist of a single datum. A general definition of a datum is: A datum is a putative fact regarding some difference or lack of uniformity within some context.1 Some examples will help to clarify the gist of this definition. Take a single sheet of unmarked white paper. It is an example of complete uniformity; each unit of the paper’s surface is the same as every other unit.2 As it is, there is no datum associated with this sheet. If a black marker were used to place a black dot in the middle of the sheet, then there would be a lack of uniformity. The white background plus the black dot would constitute the datum.3 Or as another example, consider a unary alphabet, consisting of the symbol 0. Any source that continu-ously emits symbols from this alphabet is not emitting data, for there is no lack of uniformity in its output. However, if the alphabet were expanded to include the symbol 1 as well as the symbol 0, then it would be possible for the source to emit data, by using both instances of the 0 symbol and instances of the 1 symbol. With condition 2, ‘well-formed ’ means that the data are composed according to the rules (syntax) gov-erning the chosen system, code or language being analysed. Syntax here is to be understood generally, not just linguistically, as what determines the form, construction, composition or structuring of something. The string ‘the an two green four cat!?down downx ’ is not well-formed in accordance with the rules of the English language, so therefore cannot be an instance of semantic content in the English language. Or, to 1Se