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A creative frontier

Our knowledge federation proposal is a response to three disruptive changes that have developed during the 20^th century.

A change of epistemology

A disruptive change has taken place in the 20th century’s science and philosophy; leading scientists saw that they were witnessing what was in effect a rigorous disproof of some of the fundamental assumptions based on which the whole enterprise of science developed; why not adjust what we do at the university accordingly?

A change of societal needs

In the complex and rapidly changing world, the people and society have entirely new information needs than our ancestors; why don’t we (academics) make sure that they have exactly what they need (i.e. why not have the nature and the details of this information become an academic problem)

A change of information technology

A disruptive change has taken place in information technology; why not take advantage of the new possibilities that the technology has to offer, and develop entirely new ways in which we collaborate and communicate, and to change the prevailing practice – i.e. why not make that change the subject of an academic field? (The disruptive change of technology has indeed been created for that very purpose, by Doug Engelbart and his lab.)

Our initiative

Seen in this context, the purpose of our initiative is to streamline the development of a creative frontier that naturally stems from the above disruptive changes. The knowledge federation is a complete prototype of a new academic entity, technically a transdiscipline, which shows how all three purposes may be served at once, by exploiting the synergies between them. The prototype includes everything from epistemology and methodology to technology and social processes. The knowledge federation prototypes prototypes are, furthermore, not paper developments but implemented and embedded in practice – that being, as it turned out, the only way in which they can have real-life impact.

See

Federation through Images

The synergy explored here is between fundamental insights and the new societal needs.

What we the people consume as information is determined by the media and advertising agencies, and ultimately by commercial interests. At the same time, our idea of what constitutes "good" information has been evolving since antiquity, and it now finds its foremost expression in science and philosophy. In Federation through Images we show how the insights of 20^th century's giants in science and philosophy empower a whole new standard of excellence – where the explicit purpose is to inform, i.e. to provide right orientation to people and society, in the complex reality we have created. We then show how the details of the new paradigm (fundamental premises, methods, social organization...) may be developed by combining new epistemological insights with new societal needs.

Federation through Stories

The synergy explored here is between the new societal needs and (technological and other) innovation.

It stands to reason that the large (and small) contemporary issues might be a result of a misdirected use of our rapidly grown power to innovate (create and induce change). But what might be the alternative? In Federation through Stories we introduce knowledge federation as an enabler for a completely new approach to innovation – through which the contemporary needs of people and society are radically better served.

Federation through Applications

The synergy explored here is between all three disruptive changes together.

It stands to reason that when we allow ourselves to "step outside the box" – and use the new technology to enable completely new ways of handling knowledge and more generally fulfilling societal purposes to be developed, also academically – then a vast creative frontier will most naturally open up for business and innovation, and to social entrepreneurship, and to creative action in general. To make this opportunity transparent, in Federation through Applications we present about 40 prototypes, which cover a spectrum of creative directions. Together they compose a complete single model or prototype, along with its proof of concept – of an approach to knowledge and to creative action that suits our time.

Federation through Conversations

The question here is how to streamline knowledge federation as real-life praxis.

In Federation through Conversations we streamline our main course of action – the creation of real-life knowledge federation processes and infrastructures.

An activity

Knowledge federation means connecting the dots

As an activity, as our logo might suggest, knowledge federation means 'connecting the dots' – connecting disparate pieces of information and other knowledge resources into higher-level units of meaning. The rationale is similar as in political federation, where smaller units unite to serve a shared purpose, and achieve greater visibility and impact.

One might say that (what we are calling) knowledge federation is indeed what we normally do with information so that it may become knowledge. You may have an insight or idea in your mind – but can you say that you really know it, before you have checked whether it's consistent with your other ideas? And also with what other people know? And even then – can you really say that your idea is known, before other people have integrated your idea with what they know?

So why do we then demand that this most mundane of activities be given the status of an academic field, and even more generally of a new creative frontier? The reason is, as we shall see, that the disruptive changes we have been talking about, and our lack of response, have led to a major disruption in this all-important process. And that – if we now focus our attention on it and make sure it's done properly – larger-than-life benefits can be achieved.

On our pages we demonstrate a knowledge federation techniques and possibilities.

See

Federation through Images

In Federation through Images we render the core fundamental insights of some of the leading scientists and philosophers as metaphorical and often paradoxical images called ideograms. The result is a cartoon-like introduction to the philosophical underpinnings of a refreshingly novel approach to knowledge.

Federation through Stories

In Federation through Stories we use vignettes – short, lively, catchy, sticky... real-life people and situation stories – to explain and empower some of the core ideas of daring thinkers. A vignette liberates an insight from the language of a discipline and enables a non-expert to 'step into the shoes' of a leading thinker and 'look through his eye glasses'. By combining vignettes into threads, and by weaving threads into patterns and patterns into gestalts, we create a hierarchy of insights that can inform the handling of core practical issues including lifestyle, values, religion, innovation and governance.

Federation through Applications

Knowledge is rarely empowered unless it has impacted the conventional practice, and also organizational structures or systems. In Federation through Applications we present about 40 prototypes that embody the state-of-the-art knowledge (about what for ex. journalism, or education, need to be like to serve our society in transition) and they act upon the existing practice, aiming to change it.

Federation through Conversations

In Federation through Conversations we the core technique is the dialog, which empowers change. Through public dialogs we create a public sphere capable of weaving new threads of thought. And we co-create social process and systemic structures capable of handling core issues in new ways.

An opportunity

A historical parallel

To understand our initiative as opening up an opportunity, recall the humanity's condition at the eve of the Renaissance: devastating wars, horrifying epidemics, infamous Inquisition trials... Bring to mind the iconic image of Galilei in house prison, a century after Copernicus, whispering "eppur si muove" into his beard. The problems of the day were not resolved by focusing on those problems, but by a slow and steady development of a whole new approach to knowledge. Several centuries of unprecedented progress followed. Could a similar advent be in store for us today?

Our discovery

"If I have seen further," Isaac Newton famously declared, "it is by standing on the shoulders of giants." What motivates our initiative is a discovery. We did not discover that the best insights of our best minds were drowning in an ocean of glut. Vannevar Bush, a giant, saw that already seven decades ago. He urged the scientists to focus on this disturbing trend and find a remedy. But needless to say, this too drowned in the ocean of glut.

What we did find out, when we began to uncover and put together the best insights of our best minds, was that now just as in Newton's time, they compose a whole new approach to knowledge. We also found out that this approach to knowledge leads to new answers to far-reaching questions – about the nature of truth and meaning; in what way might happiness be successfully pursued; what still impedes our freedom and democracy; what technological innovation may need to be like to benefit us far more than it presently does.

Our proposal

“You never change things by fighting the existing reality", observed Buckminster Fuller. "To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete.” Hence we built knowledge federation as a model or a prototype of a new way to handle knowledge – as it might be instrumental in revolutionizing our condition.

The issue that is being proactively problematized on these pages is the way we handle a most precious resource – human creativity (or insight, ingenuity, capacity to envision and induce change...) and its fruits accumulated through the ages. And at the point in our history where we may need to depend on it more than we ever did! Considering the importance of this issue, we spared no effort in developing and describing a complete proof of concept; and setting the stage for its academic and real-life deployment and scaling. By constructing this model, we do not aim to give conclusive answers. Our goal is indeed much higher – it is to open up a creative frontier where the way knowledge is created and handled is brought into focus, and continuously recreated and improved. (This is one of the reasons why we decided to open up this website long before it is finished. To a much lesser degree of course, this site will remain a construction site forever.)

See

Federation through Images

In Federation through Images we trace the foundations and the techniques of a next-generation science-like development.

Federation through Stories

In Federation through Stories we show in what way exactly a development analogous to Industrial Revolution – a way to radically increase the effectiveness and efficiency of human work, well beyond what has been achieved.

Federation through Applications

In Federation through Applications we model a wealth of creative direction as prototypes – namely in a way that makes them ready to be joined and contributed to.

Federation through Conversations

In Federation through Conversations we focus on a development analogous to the Humanism and the Renaissance – an emergence of a new set of insights and values that can bring our cultural evolution into synchrony with our technological one. By orchestrating dialogs we streamline that change. Through public dialogs we create a public sphere capable of weaving new threads of thought. We co-create social process and systemic structures capable of handling core issues in new ways.