ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Extensional and intensional definitions

Okay kiddo, let me explain extensional and intensional definitions in the simplest way possible for you to understand.

An extensional definition is like a list of things. Imagine you have a basket of fruits and you want to categorize them into apples, bananas, and oranges. You can write down the names of each fruit on a piece of paper and that's an extensional definition. It's like saying "these are the things that belong in this category".

On the other hand, intensional definition is more like a description or a set of characteristics. Let's say you want to define what a dog is. You can't just list down all the dogs in the world, right? So, you use characteristics like "it has four legs", "it barks", "it has fur" to describe what a dog is.

In simpler terms, extensional definitions are like a 'what' list, while intensional definitions are like a 'what it is' description. Hope that helps!