Latin1 was the early default character set for encoding documents delivered via HTTP for MIME types beginning with /text . Today, only around only 1.1% of websites on the internet use the encoding, along with some older appplications. However, it is still the most popular single-byte character encoding scheme in use today. A funny thing about Latin1 encoding is that it maps every byte from 0 to 255 to a valid character. This means that literally any sequence of bytes can be interpreted as a valid string. The main drawback is that it only supports characters from Western European languages. The same is not true for UTF8. Unlike Latin1, UTF8 supports a vastly broader range of characters from different languages and scripts. But as a consequence, not every byte sequence is valid. This fact is due to UTF8's added complexity, using multi-byte sequences for characters beyond the general ASCII range. This is also why you can't just throw any sequence of bytes at it and e...
Many words function through their extensional definitions—or the specific examples and instances that give them meaning. For example, consider when someone suggests that the solution to a problem is more ‘agency.’ But unfortunately, they do not elaborate further. This can become a quasi-semantic stopping point, where people hear a word but don’t take time to examine what it functionally means.
‘Just maximize agency,’ someone might say. But we cannot formalize a coherent model or actionable plan from merely hearing the word ‘agency’ and holding a fuzzy, informal concept in mind. Sure, the word may evoke intensional definitions, e.g., related words like ‘autonomy,’ ‘responsibility,’ or ‘power’—but are these associations alone enough?
What does maximizing agency actually look like in practice? Does it mean giving more freedom? Increasing decision-making capacity? Creating more opportunities for action?
To attempt to answer such questions, we need an extensional definition—specific ideas, examples, and concepts that the term ‘agency’ points to. In this sense, a word serves as a header for a broader class of related concepts. It is a class reference.
At first pass, agency appears to encompass a deeper form of intelligence involving philosophy, language, and various cognitive tools.
And that involves concrete physical resources, like energy. But it also involves abstract concepts like strategy, discipline, psychological drives, and uncertainty tolerance—particularly the willingness to engage with challenging ideas without flinching away.
These extensional definitions—the examples, instances, and related concepts—help us understand not just what something means but how it operates in practice and relates to other ideas.
Agency, then, is much more than just responsibility or autonomy. The term is load-bearing and can involve many other concepts. Such as:
- Self-regulation: The ability to control impulses and follow through on plans
- Responsibility: Situational awareness and acceptance of consequences
- Strategic thinking: the alignment of short-term and long-term goals
- Uncertainty tolerance: The capacity to make decisions despite incomplete knowledge
As a general but not absolute rule, behind any intensional definition, there are extensional definitions that make the intensional definition work by giving it practical meaning and power.
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