Semantics

1. Canonical Definition

Semantics is the scientific domain that specifies how meaning corresponds to reference conditions through truth constraints. Within Meaning System Science, Semantics defines the criteria for Truth Fidelity (T) by establishing how reference, accuracy, and verification make claims reconstructable and comparable across roles, contexts, and time.

2. Featured Lineage

Alfred Tarski — The Semantic Conception of Truth (1944)
Defined truth as correspondence between statements and the conditions they describe; MSS extends this by modeling Truth Fidelity (T) as a variable requirement for stable interpretation.

Donald Davidson — Inquiries into Truth and Interpretation (1984)
Showed that shared interpretation depends on stable reference across contexts; MSS applies this by treating reference continuity as a structural condition for coordinated action.

3. Plainly

Semantics studies what statements mean and how they link to what they refer to. It explains how definitions, reference rules, and verification practices determine whether people can evaluate the same claim in the same way.

4. Scientific Role in Meaning System Science

Semantics provides the reference-and-verification basis for Truth Fidelity (T). It specifies:

• how reference conditions are declared and bounded

• how correspondence is tested and updated

• how claims remain reconstructable across time and role

5. Relationship to the Variables (T, P, C, D, A)

• T — Truth Fidelity: Semantics defines correspondence, reference rules, and verification discipline.

• P — Signal Alignment: Signals can only align when their meaning is reference-consistent.

• C — Structural Coherence: Structures transmit meaning reliably when definitions and baselines are shared.

• D — Drift: Reference inconsistency increases contradiction and raises the drift rate.

• A — Affective Regulation: Limited bandwidth reduces timely resolution of ambiguity and slows verification.

6. Relationship to the Physics of Becoming

L = (T × P × C) / D

Semantics supports legitimacy (L) by stabilizing Truth Fidelity (T). When reference conditions become inconsistent or non-reconstructable, T decreases and proportional stability declines.

7. Application in Transformation Science

Transformation Science uses Semantics to detect when reference, definitions, or verification discipline are no longer sufficient for reliable evaluation. Semantic instability is often an early indicator that variable relationships are moving outside proportional ranges.

8. Application in Transformation Management

Practitioners use Semantics to:

• define terms, baselines, and scope boundaries

• specify verification and update rules

• prevent cross-role interpretive mismatch during change

• support diagnostics and governance decisions

9. Example Failure Modes

• Key terms map to different reference conditions across roles, reducing T.

• The same label is used for non-equivalent cases, reducing comparability.

• Updates occur in one channel but not others, increasing contradiction.

• Verification steps are implicit or inaccessible, reducing reconstructability.

10. Canonical Cross-References

Meaning System Science • Interpretation • Meaning-System • Physics of Becoming • First Law of Moral Proportion • Truth Fidelity (T) • Signal Alignment (P) • Structural Coherence (C) • Drift (D) • Affective Regulation (A) • Interface • LDP-1.0 • 3E Standard™ • Transformation Management