The Answer is in the Question
Glossary
There is a great deal of overlap, chaos, and confusion related to definitions of various terms. The following definitions harmonize some of this.
Anti-Knowledge - The collective set of questions that form an antithetical structure to a subset or the sum of knowledge.
The sum of questions has a yin and yang relationship with the sum of human knowledge. The dividing line between the sum of human knowledge and the sum of questions is the cutting edge or leading edge. The knowledge creation process operates on this cutting edge and converts questions to knowledge by structuring them.
Terms like genius, creativity, innovation, creative problem solving, and knowledge creation have been historically studied and represented as loosely related topics. When appropriately understood, all of these terms can be encapsulated into a single cycle of knowledge and anti-knowledge as follows:
- Definition/Solution/Structure (Knowledge Context)
- Question/Problem
- Logical Operation (connects/structures/defines)
- Result: Advanced Definition/Solution/Structure
- Return to Step 2
Mechanization of this question/definition cycle is artificial intelligence. (2004-07-26)
Association, Analogies, Metaphors - Three ways to form new triadic mental connections.
Chaos – The sum of knowledge working issues and problems. This might include confused knowledge interactions, fragmentation or duplication of knowledge structures, or the rise of an unmanageable amount of questions.
Cognitition - Human interaction with individual or social knowledge bases.
Collaboration – Cooperative knowledge working from the perspective of any of other knowledge interactions:
- Memory and Recollection
- Learning and Ignorance
- Instruction and Exposure
- Knowledge Compilation
- Knowledge Creation
- Questions and Anti-KnowledgeTM
- Language Design
- Collaboration, Sharing and Connectivity
- Expression and Non-expression
Common Sense - At a social level -- the common understanding that is universally communicated and understood within society; the social known on any topic; the socially accepted definition for any term. At an individual level -- the ability to reduce complex to simplicity; the capacity for intellectual design. Those that have worked through complexity and chaos to arrive at a simple view of a knowledge paradigm.
Compilation – The process by which individuals or computers gather knowledge and make it accessible to any level of the global intellect. The individual transports knowledge structures in and places them into the context of an larger social structure of knowledge, but does not necessarily incorporate these into his or her own intellect. Compiling is synonymous with organizing and cataloging knowledge, as long as this organization is logical.
Complexity – Complexity can be both a positive and a negative factor. Knowledge is a complex hierarchical network. Because of its hierarchical nature, any complex concept can be simply expressed. For example, anti-knowledge has many deep complexities, but can be simply expressed as the collective realm of questions related to a particular knowledge domain.
Confusion – The result or byproduct of structural and transport error.
Connectivity – Computerized or human networks that allow/enable collaboration. For example, it would be impossible for a Japanese firm to collaborate with an American firm unless some type of connectivity enabled this collaboration. This connectivity would involve the elimination of both language and location barriers. Examples of connectivity solutions are the U.S. Postal Service and the Internet; on a smaller scale, a user group or a club. Ultimately, these two physical enablers allow sharing.
Cutting Edge – The line or more accurately three-dimensional planar surface between that which is known (current state) and that which is not yet known (future state).
Definition - The exhaustive construct of the existing knowledge structure around a particular category head or mental element.
Design – The reduction of complexity by imposing hierarchical order upon information across disciplinary boundaries in order to arrive at a high level representation with high functional efficiency. A good design serves its defined purpose in the least amount of detail, with the least amount of intellectual baggage and plain semiotics/semantics.
Discovery - The advance of convergent knowledge by structuring questions/data from the natural universe to create new science.
Empirical Logic – Logic with a foundation in experience; mental connections formed from data about reality.
Empiricism – Data collection through observation and experience along with resulting data.
Exhaustive Questioning - The exhaustive identification of questions which exist around a concept, topic or discipline.
Extragenetic Knowledge - Three-dimensional mental structures stored inside the brain.
Extrasomatic Knowledge - Three-dimensional mental structures stored outside the brain.
Futurism – Futurism is a discipline and philosophy that does not yet exist. It is distinct from futurology (which does exist), which is concerned with future outcomes. Futurism in this context is concerned with the realization of the perpetual structure of future knowledge. Anti-Knowledge indicates the predictable structure of future knowledge whose framework is defined by structure in relevant questions.
Global Intellect – The sum of all knowledge retained as a global society. This knowledge may or may not be globally accessible to all individuals in that society. This knowledge is one, but today resides in silo knowledge domains that tend to cause confusion, duplication of concepts, information overload, etc. Also known as extrasomatic knowledge, or knowledge stored outside the brain. The sum of knowledge collected and stored by a collection of people at some specific level of society (e.g., team, group, government, alliance). Also known as extrasomatic knowledge, or knowledge stored outside the brain.
Global Brain – The storage and processingcapacity of a global society.
Heterarchy - A theoretical two-dimensionalknowledge structure plane with nonstrict triadic relationships. Actual knowledge structure is 3-dimensional.
Hierarchy - A theoretical two-dimensional knowledge structure plane with strict mother/child triadic relationships. Actual knowledge structure is 3-dimensional.
Hypertext Links - Lingual connections that have the capacity to move through knowledge in three-dimensions.
Information Overload – Information overload occurs knowledge expression outstrips the ability of a society, group or individual intellect to process it.
Instruction – The intermediary, electronic, paper or human, between the global brain and the learner. The instructor receives knowledge into intelligence from the global brain and then transfers this knowledge to the learner.
Intellect – The individual or social knowledge retained. The intellect can be individual intellect, social intellect (at any group level), institutional intellect, corporate intellect, electronic intellect (with levels that correspond to human intellect) or global intellect. Global intellect is the sum of human and electronic intellect and the sum of all global brains. The global brain is simply global storage capacity and does not equate with global intellect.
Invention - The advance of divergent knowledge by structuring rational (from thought) questions/data to create new technology.
Knowledge Creation – The cycle of between knowledge and questions that can be represented in this five-step proces:
- 1. Definition, Solution, Structure (knowledge context)
- 2. Question, Problem (realizing the lack of structure)
- 3. Logical Operation (test, connect, structure, define)
- 4. Result: Advanced Definition, Solution, Structure
- 5. Return to Step 2
Knowledge Creation Questions – Generic category for questions about knowledge that does not yet exist.
Language - Any vehicle for knowledge transport (words, signs, simple images, complex images, mathematics, computer programs, video, etc.). The level of sophistication and clarity of a language, and the amount of meaning contained in its symbols, directly correlates to social advance. Transport can be in the form of import or export and includes transport:
- from individual to individual
- from individual to society
- from society to individual
- from society to society,
- from computer to computer
- from computer to individual
- from individual to computer
- from computer to society
- from society to computer, etc.
Without language there can be no learning, no intelligence, no knowledge and no knowledge creation. All of these mental faculties and products are fully dependent upon language for transport. There is a distinction between language and natural language. There are many vehicles for communication and knowledge transport and natural language is only one of these.
Learning – Individual receipt of knowledge from a global brain into individual intellect, earned/received from an instructor, electronic, paper or human, or through direct interaction with a global brain.
Learning Questions – Generic category for questions about knowledge that exists.
Linguistics - The study of two-dimensional transfer of knowledge structure, inidividual to individual or individual to social.
Logic - Three-dimensional, triadic relationships that form knowledge.
Memory – The faculty of a brain to retain or store knowledge.
Natural Language – A linear 'chain´ of words used to transport knowledge (see language).
Power Learning – Clarity of social knowledge structures and knowledge transport supporting the learner who leverages a life-long learning profile and knowledge/question mirror to guide he or she through life-long learning events with minimal repetition and minimal “learning waste.´
Pragmatics – The study of factual or actual occurrences.
Question / Problem / Problem Solving – The question / problem is the perceived lack of knowledge structure or the perception of the existence of an unknown, which does not yet have structure / meaning / definition/solution. The looping process of definition/solution, questions, solution / definition.
Rational Logic – Logic with a foundation in thought; mental connections formed from existing concepts and knowledge that originated in empirical knowledge.
Rationalism – Empirical and rational logic and the knowledge created.
Reasoning - The mental process of making new connections to an existing knowledge base...equivalent to creative problem solving, though often attributed to intellect.
Recollection – The faculty of a brain to recall knowledge retained or stored. Knowledge is typically recalled for some specific application or use. Recollection is distinctly different from learning because learned knowledge or skill is not known before it is learned. Knowledge is recalled from the respective intellect and as such has already been learned.
Science – The investigation of physical and mental realities that result in the discovery of concept(s) by bringing it into a systematized arrangement or catalog of knowledge related to any topic or collection of topics. The catalyst of science is innovation. Science catalogs knowledge in reverse hierarchical order and is continually converging, but also expands at its borders to form more and more specialized “branches´ of investigation.
Semantics – The study of this meaning.
Semiotics – The study of symbols and signs.
Sharing – To openly impart knowledge that is openly received (by an individual or social group).
Sign – Any symbol that holds meaning. As an example, the letter ‘a´ does not have meaning, but a symbol for a road sign
Structural Error – Data that has been introduced into knowledge without the correct logical structure, with replicated logical structure, or that has been ignored as it relates to a logical structure.
Symbol – Any representation that, when structured or combined, produces meaning. Verbal, written, mathematical and visual languages are compilations of symbols and are used to convey meaning.
Syntactics – The study of a more the properties of signs and symbols. Properties are simply a more granular structure of symbols.
Technology – The physical application of scientific or other knowledge to industry; the science of industry or “of making material things.´ The catalyst of technology is invention/creation that results in subsequent physical and mental products and services. Technology is in hierarchical order (explored in detail later) and is continually diverging into specialized support for making new material things.
Theoretical Questions – A derivative of knowledge creation questions; questions about knowledge that does not exist, but that is not on the cutting edge of new knowledge
Transport Error – Transport errors occur either in perception (receipt) and communication (send by import or export) of logical knowledge structures.
Words – Compound symbols that can be represented verbally or textually.