2026-04-27-layered-ontology-model#126
Merged
n-gao merged 12 commits intoiclr-blogposts:mainfrom Apr 7, 2026
Merged
Conversation
There was a problem hiding this comment.
Pull request overview
This PR introduces a blog post proposing a five-layer ontological framework for understanding AI models, particularly Large Language Models. The framework distinguishes between the Noumenal, Conceptual, Instantiated, Reachable, and Observable models, and uses this structure to analyze philosophical questions about meaning and truth in AI systems.
- Proposes a five-layer hierarchical ontology (
$\mathcal{M}_N$ ,$\mathcal{M}_C$ ,$\mathcal{M}_I$ ,$\mathcal{M}_R$ ,$\mathcal{M}_O$ ) to decompose AI model concepts - Reconstructs philosophical thought experiments (Stochastic Chinese Room, Paradox of Two Poetics) through this framework
- Analyzes the evolution of model conceptualizations from classical ML to foundation models
Reviewed changes
Copilot reviewed 2 out of 2 changed files in this pull request and generated 3 comments.
| File | Description |
|---|---|
_posts/2026-04-27-layered-ontology-model.md |
Main blog post introducing the five-layer ontological framework and philosophical analysis of AI models |
assets/bibliography/2026-04-27-layered-ontology-model.bib |
Bibliography with 13 references including philosophical works (Kant, Searle, Frege) and AI/cognitive science papers |
💡 Add Copilot custom instructions for smarter, more guided reviews. Learn how to get started.
Co-authored-by: Copilot <175728472+Copilot@users.noreply.github.com>
Co-authored-by: Copilot <175728472+Copilot@users.noreply.github.com>
Co-authored-by: Copilot <175728472+Copilot@users.noreply.github.com>
This file contains hidden or bidirectional Unicode text that may be interpreted or compiled differently than what appears below. To review, open the file in an editor that reveals hidden Unicode characters.
Learn more about bidirectional Unicode characters
Sign up for free
to join this conversation on GitHub.
Already have an account?
Sign in to comment
Add this suggestion to a batch that can be applied as a single commit.This suggestion is invalid because no changes were made to the code.Suggestions cannot be applied while the pull request is closed.Suggestions cannot be applied while viewing a subset of changes.Only one suggestion per line can be applied in a batch.Add this suggestion to a batch that can be applied as a single commit.Applying suggestions on deleted lines is not supported.You must change the existing code in this line in order to create a valid suggestion.Outdated suggestions cannot be applied.This suggestion has been applied or marked resolved.Suggestions cannot be applied from pending reviews.Suggestions cannot be applied on multi-line comments.Suggestions cannot be applied while the pull request is queued to merge.Suggestion cannot be applied right now. Please check back later.
OpenReview Submission Thread
https://openreview.net/forum?id=Lykh7TS4Tu
Checklist before opening a PR
I am opening a pull request against the
mainbranch of the2026repo.My post and all associated references to it are all lowercase, i.e
The title of my PR is exactly the name of my markdown file
_posts/2026-04-27-[submission-name].mdwould require a PR name2026-04-27-[submission-name]I have anonymized my post: my author's list is
Anonymous, and there is no potentialcontent which can reveal my/my collaborators identities.
My post matches the formatting requirements, including (but not limited to):
your PR automatically being closed!):
_posts/with the format_posts/2026-04-27-[submission-name].md(or.html)assets/img/2026-04-27-[submission-name]/assets/html/2026-04-27-[submission-name]/assets/bibliography/2026-04-27-[submission-name].bibdescriptionfield of my front-mattertocfield of my front-matter.bibtexfile as per the sample postAny other comments