Knowledge Federation

Changing course We shall focus on this question in Federation through Conversations. We shall see that our pre-rational obedience to our society's order of things is part of the way in which our culture and society have been evolving. We shall see that this obedience is deep in our cultural DNA. And that the challenge we are facing is a reevolutionary one! In that last module we shall use knowledge federation to illuminate our present evolutionary course – the very 'road' our metaphorical bus has been following. We shall see why our way of evolving now needs to change. We shall draw attention to the social-psychological forces that are keeping us from engaging in that change – and already orchestrate our liberation. Rebuilding the foundations While you may, of course, browse through the modules in any way you choose, we have chosen to order them from the foundations up. What constitutes "good" knowledge? Our academic culture has not evolved as a quest for useful knowledge – but as an answer to this fundamental question. In Federation through Images we show that the proposal we are submitting is not a deviation from this evolutionary course, but its natural continuation. We shall see why the insights reached in 20th century science and philosophy not only enable – but indeed enjoin that we take that next step. What might information need to be like to give us the knowledge we need, in this age? By what methods can it be created? Even if you are not interested in such "philosophical" questions but only in technology, you will recognize in them the way to avoid using the technology to only 'reproduce the candle'. Hearing the giants Who were the giants we needed to hear, but didn't? What were they trying to tell us? In Federation through Stories we begin to answer this question, by sharing the insights of four giants, and weaving them together. This will inform our quest for right fundamental assumptions (what "good knowledge" is or should be) right use of information technology (or the right social processes by which this technology is used) right use of our creative capabilities (the one that will lead us toward the kind of condition or future we might justifiably desire) right use of knowledge and in that way give substance to our four main keywords. Prospecting a creative frontier It is in the nature of every paradigm to open up a large space for contribution and achievement. In Federation through Applications we shall see that the paradigm we are talking about is not an exception. Much of our mission has been to prospect and chart that frontier, and make large-scale development possible. In what way can we define concepts so that they empower change – instead of reifying what exists? What might our public informing n3eed to be like, to be capable of combining insights from relevant fields of knowledge, and telling us how to direct our efforts? How can we change real-life institutions? Those and a variety of other questions that delineate knowledge federation as a creative frontier are answered to by showing examples, a majority of which are real life-embedded applications. A socio-technical lightbulb Consider what's presented on these pages as a complete prototype of a socio-technical lightbulb. It includes answers to a spectrum of questions, ranging from the principle of operation on the one end, to the deployment strategy on the other. In the four detailed modules by which this presentation is completed, we shall use knowledge federation to explain, showcase and already put to use knowledge federation. Each module will apply and demonstrate a specific set of techniques – and focus on a specific aspect of our design. In Federation through Images we use ideograms – metaphorical and often paradoxical images to sum up the findings of giants. The result is a cartoon-like introduction to the philosophical underpinnings of a novel approach to knowledge. In Federation through Stories we use vignettes – short, lively, catchy, sticky... real-life people and situation stories – to explain and empower the core ideas of daring thinkers. Vignettes are in essence what the journalists do to introduce complex ideas – they tell them through a story. The vignettes liberate the insights from the language of a discipline and enables non-experts to 'step into the shoes' of giants, 'see through their eyes'. By combining vignettes into threads, and threads into higher units of meaning, we reach the direction-setting insights we've been talking about. The applications discussed in Federation through Applications are technically called prototypes. They serve as models – because they embody systemic solutions which can then be adapted to other situations interventions – because they are embedded in practice and act on practice, with the aim to transform it experiments – because they show what works well, and what needs to be improved In Federation through Conversations, we begin to develop or bootstrap a suitable new 'collective mind' or our society's 'headlights', by focusing our conversation on a core, transformative theme illuminating it with core ideas of giants engaging our collective intelligence to weave those ideas together and develop them further bringing in a whole new culture of communication, which we point to by the keyword dialog applying new media technology – and enabling the technology to make a difference