..U

union

a whole resulting from combination of parts or members

(in set theory)

the union of two sets a and b is that set whose members are those things which are either members of a or of b (or of both)

urelement

an individual or element, in the domain of a set theory, which is not a set

universal

completely general

(philos)

that (if anything) which is referred to by general terms (e.g. virtuousness)

universal polymorphism

(after [CardelliTDP]) those kinds of polymorphism in programming languages in which a polymorphic function uses a single algorithm independent of the type of its arguments, e.g. inclusion polymorphism and parametric polymorphism.

universal characteristic (philosophy)

an english translation of Characteristica Universalis, the name given by Leibniz to his proposed universal language in which all things be expressed and which would also be universally intelligible. See: The Method of Mathematics.

universal quantifier (logic)

a variable binding construct used in a logic to express the proposition that some expression is true of every element in a domain of discourse or of a type

utopia

An imagined perfect place or state of things, e.g. The Factasian Utopia.

utopian engineering

Term used by Karl Popper in [Popper45a] for approaches to social engineering which involve first drawing a blueprint (i.e. describing the desired utopia) and then devising an implementation plan. Utopian engineering is contrasted with historicism, which is fatalistic and therefore may regard blueprints and plans as superfluous, and piecemeal engineering, which, fearful of repeating past blunders of utopian engineering, confines itself to a kind of sociological firefighting.

See also:

piecemeal engineering

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© created 1998-9-29 modified 2003-1-28