Taming the Sea of Errors: An Ontological Study of Biases in DOLCE

In this paper, we present a preliminary ontology of bias based on the\r\nDOLCE foundational ontology. The main reason for devising such an endeavour\r\nis to make explicit the ontological assumptions behind the use of terms indicating\r\nthe elements composing a biased outcome. Firstly, we discuss what the object of a\r\nbias is —namely, the entity that might be deemed biased, which we identify with\r\nsituated inferences, i.e. propositional contents that can be asserted by some (human\r\nor artificial) agent from other propositional contents. We will thus categorise in\r\nDOLCE various types of biases as concepts that classify situated inferences. The\r\ncontent of such inferences is then associated with the following elements: i) the\r\nagent responsible for drawing the conclusion, ii) the objects and iii) the concepts\r\nused in the premises and in the conclusion of the inference, iv) the time when the\r\ninference takes place. These ingredients will serve to trace the origin of what we\r\nshall call a biased inference back to any of the above elements, relating some of the\r\nbiases present in the literature to these ontologically founded elements.