Alex, You asked:
What do you mean about the "relationality" of knowledge? How one bit is > related to an others? > Once again, you have asked a very deep question. I am writing my dissertation on the relational dimension of knowledge management, and using TiddlyWiki to do it! It is difficult to answer the question briefly and concisely. The answer revolves around the notion of the "social construction" of reality. Much of what we perceive as "real" exists within a frame that is defined by our cognitive capabilities, social structures and norms, and relational ties. We are under the impression that our perceptions are "personal" but we are far more intimately tied to our surroundings via our cognitive connections than we can realize. What we perceive as "our" knowledge is an ongoing product and process of relational being. It is not a "thing" that's "out there." There are different ways of envisioning this notion. Kuhn gave an example in terms of "paradigms." Scientists see the world via the dominant paradigm. When that apple cart is upset, so are the scientists, until, eventually the paradigm changes. But the old guard usually has to die off before that happens. Lakoff and Johnson (Philosophy in the Flesh) discuss this in terms of metaphors and frames of reverence. Essentially they are saying we cannot think or communicate without a common reference and these take the forms of metaphors. Knowledge management is an attempt to improve the use of knowledge in organizations. Early efforts focused on information and data gathering. Next we focused on teams and collaborative tools. Then social networks. The field is evolving towards a recognition of the ways in which we can create "bridges of meaning" between different areas of knowledge systems. (i.e., "bridging epistemologies and ontologies.) But it doesn't have to be that complicated. Until we achieve the technology of mindmelds or Avatar-style fiberoptic connections to our brains, the ultimate "killer application" in the application of relational knowledge management is conversation. Regards, Neil Neil Olonoff [email protected] Lead, Federal Knowledge Management Initiative, Federal KM Working Group hosted at http://KM.gov Office: 703.614.5058 (US Army HQDA, G-4/Contracted by Innolog) Mobile: 703.283.4157 (Disabled during working hours) Personal profile: http://www.linkedin.com/in/olonoff Blogging at http://FedKM.org On Tue, Jan 26, 2010 at 1:24 PM, Alex Hough <[email protected]>wrote: > Neil, > > What do you mean about the "relationality" of knowledge? How one bit is > related to an others? > > Alex > > 2010/1/26 Neil Olonoff <[email protected]> > >> Alex, >> >> Regarding KM and Fractals. There are KM folks studying and writing about >> groups and organizations as complex adaptive systems. Personally, I am more >> focused on small group dynamics and the "relationality" of knowledge, so I'm >> at the other end of the spectrum. >> >> I guess crowdsourcing is an example of employing a complex systems >> perspective to accomplish knowledge tasks. >> >> Complexity >> >> Neil Olonoff [email protected] >> Lead, Federal Knowledge Management Initiative, >> Federal KM Working Group hosted at http://KM.gov >> Office: 703.614.5058 (US Army HQDA, G-4/Contracted by Innolog) >> Mobile: 703.283.4157 (Disabled during working hours) >> Personal profile: http://www.linkedin.com/in/olonoff >> Blogging at http://FedKM.org >> >> >> On Tue, Jan 26, 2010 at 12:43 PM, Alex Hough <[email protected]>wrote: >> >>> Jeremy, >>> >>> Can you be drawn a bit more on fractals and self similarity? I think it >>> would be beneficial to hear about some of the abstract motivations behind >>> your creation. This way, TW fans perhaps could understand something at a >>> more abstract level thus enabling them to solve some of the problems that >>> FND identified associated with stymying deeper understanding. >>> >>> The everything is a tiddler - the pageTemplate, ViewTemplate, stylesheet >>> - is to my mind kind of fractal. Each is similar but smaller to the previous >>> but smaller. >>> >>> Neil, >>> I wonder if in knowledge management there are issues relating to >>> fractals as well. I am thinking about Godel. >>> >>> >>> >>> Alex >>> ps. new strapline : TiddlyWiki a funky non-linear fractal knowledge >>> management tool >>> >>> >>> 2010/1/26 Jeremy Ruston <[email protected]> >>> >>> I really like Måns' comment: >>>> >>>> > Sometimes I see TiddlyWiki as an almost therapeutic tool - >>>> > I think of an almost unmanagable problem - break it up into smaller >>>> > pieces - make each piece work and put them together again - and I >>>> > discover that the BIG problem already has been solved in the >>>> > process... - it's magic... and one of the things I've learned from >>>> > this group. (And I'm *not* using mptwGTD - whatever...) >>>> >>>> That's beautiful, I love the idea of TiddlyWiki as a productive >>>> displacement activity. >>>> >>>> To answer Alex's earlier question about whether all my projects are >>>> like this - firstly, I've never had the privilege of being involved >>>> with anything like TiddlyWiki before, in the sense of being in the >>>> middle of a community of actual people. Perhaps the closest thing is >>>> the software teams I've managed over the years, at BTC, Dresdner, On >>>> Board Info, Interactive1, and now, finally, Osmosoft. When I think of >>>> those teams I suspect that I don't really see the commonality, because >>>> it is likely to stem rather directly from my own behaviour/values >>>> etc., which I'm kind of blind to. Anyhow, I adore working with other >>>> people, and building and shaping a team is one of the exquisite >>>> pleasures available to someone with my desire to build things. >>>> >>>> When I was a teenager I was kind of a hippy; I remember at 19 finally >>>> figuring out to my own satisfaction what the purpose of life is - I >>>> decided it was to love, and be loved. Which is possibly a bit naive >>>> from some perspectives. Anyhow, you may be able to glean better >>>> insights from this interview when I was 17: >>>> >>>> http://jermolene.com/2007/06/05/young-jerm/ >>>> >>>> One further thought is that it feels very much to me as though this >>>> version of TiddlyWiki is version "n" of a single product that I've >>>> spent my life striving to design. I hope that we are all still >>>> together in 20 years, putting the finishing touches to TiddlyWiki2030, >>>> with support for millions of tiddlers, and some kind of funky zoomy >>>> fractal visualisation that helps you perceive and shape connections >>>> and links. >>>> >>>> Cheers >>>> >>>> Jeremy >>>> >>>> -- >>>> Jeremy Ruston >>>> mailto:[email protected] >>>> http://www.tiddlywiki.com >>>> >>>> -- >>>> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google >>>> Groups "TiddlyWiki" group. >>>> To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. >>>> To unsubscribe from this group, send email to >>>> [email protected]<tiddlywiki%[email protected]> >>>> . >>>> For more options, visit this group at >>>> http://groups.google.com/group/tiddlywiki?hl=en. >>>> >>>> >>> >>> >>> -- >>> http://www.multiurl.com/g/64 >>> >>> -- >>> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups >>> "TiddlyWiki" group. >>> To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. >>> To unsubscribe from this group, send email to >>> [email protected]<tiddlywiki%[email protected]> >>> . >>> For more options, visit this group at >>> http://groups.google.com/group/tiddlywiki?hl=en. >>> >> >> -- >> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups >> "TiddlyWiki" group. >> To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. >> To unsubscribe from this group, send email to >> [email protected]<tiddlywiki%[email protected]> >> . >> For more options, visit this group at >> http://groups.google.com/group/tiddlywiki?hl=en. >> > > > > -- > http://www.multiurl.com/g/64 > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "TiddlyWiki" group. > To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. > To unsubscribe from this group, send email to > [email protected]<tiddlywiki%[email protected]> > . > For more options, visit this group at > http://groups.google.com/group/tiddlywiki?hl=en. > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "TiddlyWiki" group. 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