Issue 2: Make the scope note for Actor more explicit

ID: 
2
Starting Date: 
2001-07-05
Working Group: 
1
Status: 
Done
Closing Date: 
2002-02-21
Background: 

Is the treatment of intentionality and responsibility of actors adequate?

Current Proposal: 

In scope: 
Make the scope note for Actor more explicit so as to communicate the idea of legal responsibility:

While looking at the existing scope notes for the Actor entity, I noticed 
that the scope notes for the Actors Hierarchy would also need to be 
revised (Tony Gill):

Actors Hierarchy

[** Current Scope Note **]
All entities in this hierarchy are instances of the metaclass "Actor 
Type".

Until now, only one subclass is defined, the physical person. As this has 
a physical nature as well, it is listed already under physical objects (In 
a passive sense, as patient, mummy etc.). Here in the future, all kinds of 
social organizations should be characterized.

[** Proposed replacement Scope Note **]
All entities in this hierarchy are instances of the metaclass "Actor 
Type".

Actors are people, either individually or in groups, that can have the 
potential to perform intentional actions of their own volition.

There are two subclasses of Actor, Person and Groups, used to distinguish 
between individual human beings and identifiable groups of people. Person 
is also a subclass of Biological Object. The Groups class has a further 
subclass, Legal Body, used to identify groups that are identifiable as 
entities in the legal sense.

E39 Actor

[** Current Scope Note **]
People, either individuals or a groups of persons, or organisations, under 
the aspect of their role in activities. E.g. The ISO central committe, the 
Benaki Museum in Athens, Greece, the Bauhaus in Weimar, Germany, Monet, 
Me.

An informal group, such as a school of artists, may acquire an identity 
and perform actions without ever becoming an officially established legal 
entity. Such cases should be documented as instances of Actors, using an 
appropriate sub type. 

[** Proposed replacement Scope Note **]
Actors are people, either individually or in groups, that have the 
potential to perform intentional actions for which they can be held 
responsible. Examples include the ISO Central Committee, the Benaki 
Museum, the Fauvists, and Pablo Picasso. The CRM does not attempt to model 
the inadvertent acts of actors.

Individual people should be documented as instances of E21 Person, whereas 
groups should be documented as instances of either E74 Group or its 
subclass E40 Legal Body.

Outcome: 

Proposal accepted, Monterey 21/2/2002.