Dear Professor Zhao and FISers, Thanks to Pedro for reposting Dr Zhao’s message. Through some complication of multiple email systems, I didn’t see it the first time.
For those who don’t already know, my name is Beth Cardier and I’m completing research at the University of Melbourne, developing a computer-friendly model of narrative structure so that knowledge systems might eventually interpret unexpected information. I’m in the unusual position of having an arts background (I’m a writer) and was later trained to consider formal issues of information, for the purposes of system design. This swerve in career was the result of involvement in a US project, which aimed to address fundamental problems with computer reasoning. That program was run by Ted Goranson, who is also a member of this forum, and will likely comment soon. My home field is therefore stories. Generating unexpected clusters of information, in the way that stories do, requires the inclusion of some principles that are not currently exploited by the sciences (if we already had them, computers would be able to make poetry as lovely as Dr Zhao’s). The breadth of scope in Dr Zhao’s message has therefore engaged me on a number of levels. There are two points in his message that I would like to draw attention to, as they correlate with some of the structures I’ve been exporting from the arts. The first is contextual transfer: > In fact I was there within a intelligent scholar > purpose: how strong and complex intelligence he has and what kinds > of wonderful phenomena should happen during his translation between > two big languages, even concert the third language, such as Yi (the > Yi poem has been translated to Chinese). From a writer’s point of view, the ambiguities, blends and unexpected conceptual arrangements that can result from the sort of partial transfer mentioned above aren’t annomalies; they are a critical aspect of informational behaviour. When information does not precsiely match an available interpretive template, ‘softnesses’ arise. These distortions occur in translation, but also feature in every aspect of the human interpretive process, simply because more than one context is always available to us. I therefore support Dr Zhao’s consideration of multiple contexts as part of the informational ecosystem. > Chinese poet Aku visited he, he said a > Yi proverb: "the streak of Tagore is up the body and the streak in human is in heart." Two other narrative principles in the writerly toolkit are agency and governance. In the above proverb, the conceptual cluster associated with ‘Streak’ has much agency. It constrains the more general associations of place and body in such a way that some key features of each emerge (this goes beyond analogy). By the time we finish reading this one sentence, we have used it to construct a complex architecture of how the heart can create a sense of belonging and purpose, in the same way that a place does. General ideas about place and body are thus constrained in the process. I am interested in the way a conceptual unit such as ‘streak’ is able to act on others (without deleting them), behaving in a ‘governing’ manner. It imparts some of its structure, adding complexity and sheering away dross, to make an altered arrangement. (The ‘streak’ structure mentioned above had so much agency, in fact, that it quickly seeded itself through multiple linguistic and cultural contexts: from Aku’s advice, to Yi’s example, to the lecture by Mair, into Dr Zhao’s writings, and now into my message). Being context-oriented, I also concur with Qiao Tian-Qing’s reluctance to create a general theory of information, particularly at this early stage. Interdisciplinary collaboration has taught me that there are numerous, valid ways to model a phenomenon such as story. The features extracted depend on the intended purpose of use for the model, as well as the disciplines involved in its production. Due to my intended product, the features I’ve chosen above are quite specifically geared towards knowledge representation, visual ontologies, contextual transfer and narrative. I hope more discussion on such an inclusive range of ideas will continue, and the next time I come to China, would enjoy taking up Dr Zhao on his offer of a Chendu Thought Meeting. Best Regards, Beth > *------------------------------------------------------------ > * > > *Dear Krassimir and FIS Colleagues,* > > * * > > I am Chuan Zhao. I am teaching in the Department of Computer > Science and Technology, Chengdu University of Technology, China. I am an > associate Professor, director. My interesting fields are FIS, foundation > of AI, mathematics and Universal Logic, etc. > > I joined the Beijing FIS2010 and my speech is on Natural Language > Understanding. > > I agree with your two important characteristics of > "background to Modern Science". And want echo with you in these two > aspects. > > *1. The freedom to make experiments.* Now we must know that > experiments of Information Science or Intelligence Science should be > very different and unusual with general kinds in general laboratories. > They should be wonderful and free. For example I joined a lecture of > Prof. Denis Mair, Nov. 7, 2010. He is a sinologist and poet. It was the > first lecture of International Yi Lecture Theater. The lecture took > about his translation for a Chinese, Yi poet's poem book to English. Yi > is a minority of China. Of course his translate is from Chinese to > English. But these are two big languages! Why I joined it during heavy > scientific works? In fact I was there within a intelligent scholar > purpose: how strong and complex intelligence he has and what kinds of > wonderful phenomena should happen during his translation between two big > languages, even concert the third language, such as Yi (the Yi poem has > been translated to Chinese.). Yes, really he took about many cognitive > points, of course are literature point the same. For example he > mentioned a core concept* Streak*. He said few years ago in American a > period he feel some trouble and a Chinese poet Aku visited he, he said a > Yi proverb: "the streak of Tagore is up the body and the streak in human > is in heart." And this helped him gained some inspiration to out the > trouble. Now let us ask: what is the trouble of a poet? Why a proverb > can help him? What are they thinking? And men of letters worry about > sometime seminal with scientists? In the end of Main's lecture I asked a > question: "I am a scholar of computer, I am very interesting with the > intelligence during your translation; You have studied biology - the > streak of science, what is the effect with your social study and write?" > > His lecture excite me to write a poem On Streak, because it > is interesting to me. He welcome I have a try: he said I wish read lines > from your poem with science view. Yes, during the lines one day I put > into two nice conclusions for the mails of our FIS. First roughly in > English as: "this autumn / I joined an excellent conference of sending > out Declaration and Call / the Foundation of Information Science / the > list mails as a forum in net in sky is running / the sentence A Igor say > let me think of the unfinished On Streak / he said " information is > heterogeneity stable for some definite time." / and Bateson: / > "information is the difference that makes difference" / yes, Difference! > / Difference! Is the beginning and end of streak / see, here poet and > science worry about the same! " "my special science study" > > Now I wrote the poem and send to him and I am waiting for his feedback. > En- this is a snow and perhaps fast examination. > > I believe that how deep the break happened and how deep the connection > should happen; How much pain the divide release and how many wonderful > the integrity should cause. > > > > *2. The freedom to work together with scientists*, which > belong to other "monastery". This let me think of my *Chengdu Though > Meeting*. This idea formed at 2006. 2007 the Second Universal Logic > Conference held in Xi-an, China. I designed a set postcard as gift to > every participant. I wrote this idea of Chengdu Thought Meeting on the > cover of the set of card. It is: "Chuan Zhao has a wish: stage Chengdu > Thought Meeting. People shall deeper and pure exchange thoughts; > instruct orient thoughts and approach the formalization with science > system; have freer and more interdisciplinary communication. Looking > forward it should happen in the coming two years." Yes, it happened > these years. They are excite and valuable though sporadic and > non-formal. For example, Prof. Mihir chakraborty, in department of pure > mathematics, in Kolkata University, he visited me twice, at 2009 and > 2010. We should talk about my Phase Theorem and his Grade Theorem: we > both found a kind of ancient India logic should deal with the > foundational questions of modern science. While he visited Chengdu, we > talk about Soft Truth, Soft Consequence and Soft Computing in my > university, about Tagore as "How Tagore now?" in another university, > talk with Confucius School... there are so many things I will mention > while talk to. I think we begin and beginning. I wish there are better > regular globe Chengdu Thought Meeting will happen. There is long > preparation and imaging in heart. Are you interesting with my idea and > invitation? I think it should be a wonderful meeting and we can realize > it. > > I believe it is the ways we have to go in the field without > way while we explore the future Science and culture or in one word > civilization. > > > > Best wishes, > > Sincerely > > Zhao Chuan > > February 16-20, > 2011 > > > > > > This year 2011 is Rabbit- year in Chinese counting. Put my > paper cut of a run rabbit as the gift and bless to my dear Leagues for > 2011. > > > > ----------------------------------------------------------------------- > > -- > ------------------------------------------------- > Pedro C. Mariju�n > Grupo de Bioinformaci�n / Bioinformation Group > Instituto Aragon�s de Ciencias de la Salud > Avda. G�mez Laguna, 25, Pl. 11� > 50009 Zaragoza, Spain > Telf: 34 976 71 3526 (& 6818) Fax: 34 976 71 5554 > pcmarijuan.i...@aragon.es > http://sites.google.com/site/pedrocmarijuan/ > ------------------------------------------------- > > _______________________________________________ > fis mailing list > fis@listas.unizar.es > https://webmail.unizar.es/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/fis > _______________________________________________ fis mailing list fis@listas.unizar.es https://webmail.unizar.es/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/fis
