User:Marshallsumter/Dominant group/Theoretical definition

A theoretical definition is a definition within a theory. A theory is one or a system of ideas intended to explain something.

To prevent circularity of meaning by using words in the definition that are or mean the exact same as that intended to be defined, a theoretical definition is based on general principles independent of the thing to be explained.

At the extreme, a theoretical definition should use no terms that are relative or exact synonyms for the thing to be defined. This excludes any term with its much more popular synonyms in the same synonymy categories as the thing to be defined.

Notation
To help with definitions, their meanings and intents, there is the learning resource theory of definition.

Notation: let the symbol Def. indicate that a definition is following.

Definitions
Def. "the meaning of a word in terms of the theories of a specific discipline" is called a theoretical definition.

Def. that "which attempts to formulate a theoretically adequate characterization of the objects to which it is applied." is called a theoretical definition.

Synonymous definition
A synonymous definition “cannot be used in the construction of precising or theoretical definitions.”

With a two-word term, genus classes (or categories ) may consist of three varieties:
 * 1) category1 + category2,
 * 2) "dominant" + category2, or
 * 3) category1 + "group".

Here "category1" refers to any category of relative synonyms for "dominant" (adjective or noun), and "category2" is the same for "group" (noun or verb).

The added possibilities of "group" as a verb suggests usages like "dominantly grouped", with the adverb "dominantly", or "dominant grouping".

These variations in part due to analyzing a two-word term allow additional possibilities to consider in forming genus differentia definitions.

The term "dominant group" appears to be used to identify entities of importance. The genera differentia for possible definitions of "dominant group" fall into the following set of orderable pairs:

'Orderable' means that any synonym from within the first category can be ordered with any synonym from the second category to form an alternate term for "dominant group"; for example, "superior class", "influential sect", "master assembly", "most important group", and "dominant painting". "Dominant" falls into category 171. "Group" is in category 61. Further, any word which has its most or much more common usage within these categories may also form an alternate term, such as "ruling group", where "ruling" has its most common usage in category 739, or "dominant party", where "party" is in category 74. "Taxon" or "taxa" are like "species" in category 61. "Society" is in category 786 so there is a "dominant society".

Lexical definition
Def. "a social group that controls the value system and rewards in a particular society." is called a dominant group, occurs in Mosby's Medical Dictionary.

Ethnical dominant group
"For purposes of this analysis, I define a dominant ethnic group as the ethnic group in a society that exercises power to create and maintain a pattern of economic, political, and institutional advantage, which in turn results in the unequal (disproportionately beneficial to the dominant group) distribution of resources."

Def. "the ethnic group in a society that exercises power to create and maintain a pattern of economic, political, and institutional advantage, which in turn results in the unequal (disproportionately beneficial to the dominant group) distribution of resources" is called a dominant ethnic group.

Psychological dominant group
"[A] group is dominant if it possesses a disproportionate share of societal resources, privileges, and power."

Def. "if [a group] possesses a disproportionate share of societal resources, privileges, and power" it is called a dominant group.