onness
Onness is a contemporary term used in philosophy, cognitive science, and human-computer interaction to describe the qualitative state of an entity being in operation or actively engaged in a context. It refers to more than mere existence or visibility, emphasizing active participation, readiness to act, and sustained involvement with processes or tasks. The concept is often invoked to distinguish between entities that are functionally operative and those that are simply present.
Etymology and scope: Onness is formed from the word on, linked with the suffix -ness to express
Applications: In artificial intelligence and human–computer interaction, onness serves as a metric for engagement or task
Limitations: Critics argue that onness can be vague or difficult to measure empirically, with varying definitions
See also: presence, activation, existence, readiness, phenomenology.