individual
Let an agent handle the individual as a concept of particularity, distinguish an individual from a kind, a group and a role, explain its uses in law, biology, logic and data modelling, and route questions about specific individuals or persons to their own entries.
Research draft, second pass
A second pass drafted this model: the structure a model of this thing needs, and what is known about it in the world. The line under this one says how the second half was obtained - researched against sources, or recalled without web access, in which case nothing here was read anywhere and every claim is a lead to verify. Unreviewed either way.
written by Claude from model knowledge without web access - no source was read, every claim is a lead to verify
Researched by: Claude
Purpose and description
Let an agent handle the individual as a concept of particularity, distinguish an individual from a kind, a group and a role, explain its uses in law, biology, logic and data modelling, and route questions about specific individuals or persons to their own entries.
A single, distinct entity considered as one, in contrast to a group, class or collective: a person as a single human being, an organism as one member of a species, or any particular thing as opposed to the kind it belongs to; the concept underlies counting, identity, rights and the distinction between type and instance in logic and modelling.
What it is for: Distinguishing one particular thing or being from kinds and groups.
It can be explain the concept of individual versus kind; explain uses in law, biology and modelling; apply the type-instance distinction; route questions about persons and specific individuals.
Distinguishing features
Particularity and distinctness
Countable as one
Bearer of identity over time
Instance of a kind
What it looks like
Not visible as a concept; any single person, organism or thing.
How it is recognised
One distinct entity
Contrasted with class, group and collective
Person, organism and instance are the specific senses
Related models
is a kind of - a particular entity
is contrasted with - a collective
is contrasted with - the type it belongs to
is related to - the legal sense
In practice
Families and kinds
individual person
individual organism
individual object or instance
legal individual or natural person
individual in statistics as a unit of observation
individual in philosophy and individuation
Standards and regulation
Legal definitions of natural person and individual in statutes
Data protection definitions of an identifiable individual
Statistical standards for units of observation
Failure modes and hazards
Confusing an individual with its kind or group
Treating roles or organisations as individuals
Privacy issues when identifying individuals
Where this came from
wikidata · CC0 1.0
Also registered as vr.tr.individual
Drafted structure
Bundle to layer to finding to question, as the second pass will find it: 4 bundles · 8 layers · 8 findings · 16 questions.
Concept What an individual is.
Definition.
Definition
Definition.
Definition
Definition.
- What makes something an individual, and how does it differ from a kind or a group? definition
- Is the question about the concept or about a specific person or organism? boundary
Identity
Identity over time.
Identity
Identity.
- How does an individual keep its identity over time and change, as treated in philosophy? provenance
- Which entry fits personal identity? action
Fields Uses across fields.
Application.
Law
Law and rights.
Law
Law.
- How do law and data protection define an individual, and what rights attach? provenance
- Which entry fits natural person? action
Biology
Biological individuals.
Biology
Biology.
- What counts as an individual organism, including colonies and clones? provenance
- Which entry fits organism? action
Model Type and instance.
Modelling.
Instance
Instances in modelling.
Instance
Instance.
- How do data models and logic distinguish types from instances? definition
- Which entry fits ontology modelling? action
Statistics
Units of observation.
Statistics
Statistics.
- How are individuals treated as units in statistics and surveys? provenance
- Which entry fits statistical units? action
Study Philosophy and society.
Study.
Philosophy
Individuation.
Philosophy
Philosophy.
- What do philosophers say about individuation and individuals, with positions attributed? provenance
- Which references are standard? provenance
Society
Individualism.
Society
Society.
- How do societies weigh individual and collective, with positions attributed? provenance
- Is the presentation neutral? boundary
What the second pass must settle
- Should this be a concept entry distinct from person?
- How should legal definitions be linked?
- How should individuation debates be represented?