Measures of Similarity

Bibliographic Data

ID20142657
AuthorsKarin Enflo (0000-0001-9093-3995, Stockholm University, corresponding author)
Year2020
Volume86
Issue1
Pages73-99
Publication date2020-02-01
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueTheoria (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0040-5825 • E-ISSN: 1755-2567
PublisherWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1111/theo.12222
OpenAlexW3003220124
LanguageEN
Citations received2
References cited35

This article analyses the relationship between the concept of single aspect similarity and proposed measures of similarity. More precisely, it compares eleven measures of similarity in terms of how well they satisfy a list of desiderata, chosen to capture common intuitions concerning the properties of similarity and the relations between similarity and dissimilarity. Three types of measures are discussed: similarity as commonality, similarity as a function of dissimilarity, and similarity as a joint function of commonality and difference. Relative to the desiderata, it is found that a measure of the second type fares the best. However, rather than recommend this measure alone as a measure of similarity, it is suggested that there are at least three separate concepts of single aspect similarity, corresponding to the three types of measures. In light of this proposal, three of the eleven measures (and variants of these) are deemed acceptable

Biology · Data mining · Function (biology) · Measure (data warehouse) · Similarity (geometry) · Similarity measure · Artificial Intelligence · Classical Philosophy and Thought · Computer Science · Decision-Making and Behavioral Economics · Epistemology, Ethics, and Metaphysics · Mathematics

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