descriptiondependent

Descriptiondependent is an adjective used in philosophy of language and information science to describe phenomena in which the identity, classification, or properties of an entity are determined by the description used to refer to it, rather than by intrinsic features. The term highlights how referents can be picked out by different descriptions that may or may not align with one another.

In semantics, description-dependent references arise with definite descriptions such as “the author of Waverley” or with context-dependent labels like “the current president.” The same object can be identified by different descriptions, and descriptions may fail to pick out any object if the described criteria are not satisfied. This motivates a distinction between description-driven reference and more intrinsic or indexical modes of identification.

In knowledge representation and ontology design, description-dependent schemas tie categories to textual descriptors. Updates to the phrasing or scope of descriptions can reclassify instances without changes to the underlying data, making systems sensitive to description drift and description-level ambiguity.

Applications of the concept occur in natural language processing for resolving descriptions to entities, in information retrieval where search terms act as descriptions, and in ontology mapping where description drift must be tolerated or normalized. The notion helps model referential instability and context sensitivity that arise when descriptions govern reference.

Critiques emphasize ambiguity and instability introduced by description changes, and they encourage mechanisms for tracking description-dependent references alongside more stable identifiers. Related ideas include description theory of proper names, indexicality, and the role of context in reference.