samenessbased

Sam enessbased is a term used to describe a stance or method that centers on sameness—the identity or exact functional equivalence of elements—as the primary basis for classification, reasoning, and decision making. In samenessbased frameworks, two items are treated as the same if they meet a predefined criterion of sameness, and differences beyond that criterion are considered irrelevant for the task at hand.

The term is a neologism that appears in discussions across philosophy, cognitive science, and computer science. It is used to contrast approaches that prioritize absolute identity or equivalence with those that emphasize differences, gradients, or historical relations. In practice, samenessbased reasoning seeks stable criteria for when distinct cases should be grouped together, enabling consistent inference and modeling.

Core concepts associated with samenessbased reasoning include the use of equivalence relations, invariants, and clear identity criteria. Depending on the context, sameness can be strict (exact identity) or functional (interchangeability under given conditions). Formal treatments often involve notions of isomorphism or other structures that preserve essential properties while ignoring nonessential variation.

Applications of samenessbased thinking can be found in data management and software, where deduplication and normalization rely on identifying interchangeable records; in ontology design, where objects are classified by core identity features; and in legal or ethical reasoning, where case equivalence is judged by essential criteria rather than superficial similarities.

Criticisms note that an overemphasis on sameness can obscure meaningful differences, reduce nuance, and lead to brittle systems if the identity criteria are contested or context-dependent.

See also: identity, equivalence relation, isomorphism, deduplication, similarity-based reasoning.