Psybertron Asks

Conflicting Models of Learning and Knowledge – Excellent analysis from Oliver Wrede at Seblogging (Seb Fielder’s aggregator ?) [via McGee] (Such a tangled web it’s getting hard to distinguish whose thoughts are who’s in this analysis). Anyway [Quote] Needless to say that the same dilemma can be found in countless corporate environments, too. [Unquote]

Seblogging is an interesting collection – Is “cognitive architects” an interactive community or merely an aggregation ?

Interestingly, McGee’s musings on this blog make deferential reference to the late Donald Schon, the other half of the Argyris and Schon works to which I also I keep making reference.

More on Motivation and Context – A little parable brought to my attention by Seb arising from a misunderstanding between two “communities” of knowledge personified by Stephen Downes and David Wiley. Of course bloggers are not “the” community, just one (set of) many (sets of) communities with vaious levels of communication links between them. In fact even within any one such “community” the communication links vary enormously. Anyway, the conclusion, and my main point of interest, is in “knowing the communicator” – without any context or understanding of the motivations of those with which we are communicating, very little of the information content communicated can be considered to be knowledge.

Repeat after me, “Motivation is a necessary component of any knowledge model.”

[Quote] A man is not idle because he is absorbed in thought. There is visible labour and there is invisible labour.[Unquote] from Victor Hugo via the Quotations Page, [via Curry], who also cites [Quote] An invasion of armies can be resisted, but not an idea whose time has come.[Unquote] also from Victor Hugo.

Information Motivation – Post from Jerry Ash that has spawned an interesting discussion thread on motivation behind communication. I responded to Denham Grey’s contribution. My position is, and always has been, that intent (motive) is a key (necessary) component of a good information model.

MIT on McLuhan – How the act of communicating (through the media) changes what appears to be known, even knowable ? [via AsWeKnowIt]. See also earlier McLuhan link.

Semantic Networks – Excellent summary from John Sowa. [via Jorn]

His NIBBS – Dr Ian Pitchford runs the Human Nature Review and publishes this Daily Review of news in evolutionary psychology as “NIBBS“. [via Jean-Luc Delatre]. Recent editions include very positive reviews of Pinker’s “The Blank Slate”, Dennett’s “Freedom Evolves” and Jones’ “Y – The Descent of Men”. A positive gold mine of material.

Jean-Luc Delatre – Only just discovered this site, following some feedback from Jean-Luc. An interesting mix of Tao (Zen) thought with epistemology and ontologies. It seems Jean-Luc has been venting his frustration with the ontology approach at SUO / SUMO, where he has crossed swords with fellow conspirator at EPISTLE, Matthew West.

Karun Philip – Mentioned earlier, a thread with Karun Philip arising from a discussion over Wolfram’s ANKOS. Karun has since started a blog.

In between a hectic schedule of family, sailing and football I seem to have found little time to read anything over the break, let alone blog.