Sam Vaknin's websites on psychology, philosophy, economics and foreign affairs. The statement "all cats are black" is obviously false, even if only one cat in the entire universe was white. Thus, the property “being black” cannot be part of the definition of a cat. The lesson is that definitions must be universal. They must apply to all members of a defined set (the set of “all cats” in our example). Let's try to define a chair. In doing so, we try to capture the essence of being a chair, its “fleshness”. It is the chair that is defined – not this or that specific chair. We want to be able to identify the pulpit whenever and wherever we encounter it. But the notion of a chair cannot be captured without somehow addressing and including the uses of a chair – what is it for, what does it do or help do. In other words, a definition must include an operational element, a function. In many cases, the function of the Definiendum (the defined term) constitutes its meaning. The function of a vinyl record is its meaning. It has no meaning outside of its function. The Definiens (the expression providing the definition) of a vinyl record both encompasses and consists of its function or use. However, can a vinyl record be defined in a vacuum, without incorporating the record player into the definitions? After all, a vinyl record is an object containing audio information decoded by a record player. Without the “record player” bit, the definition becomes ambiguous. It can hold an audio cassette or compact disc. Context is therefore essential. A good definition includes context that serves to alleviate ambiguity. Apparently, the more detailed the definition, the less ambiguous it becomes. But that's not true. In fact, the more detail provided, the more ambiguous the definition is likely to be. A definition should strive to be both minimal and aesthetic. In this sense, it is a lot like a scientific theory. It talks about the adequacy or correlation between language and reality. Reality is parsimony and to reflect it, definitions must be as parsimonious as it is. Let's summarize the characteristics of a good definition, then apply them and try to define some very mundane terms. First, a definition must reveal the meaning of reality. defined term or concept.