Cyberspace And The Future Of Memory

Cyberspace and the Future of Memory Vic e-week 2006

Prof. Pierre Lévy Canada Research Chair in Collective Intelligence Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada University of Ottawa

Evolution of Cultural Memory Cyberspace 2000

Mass Media 1500

Alphabet -1000

Writing -3000

Orality -300000

Ubiquity, interconnection and activity of signs. Semantic numbers. Technical self-reproduction and broadcasting of signs. Scientific notations. Universal writing system using +/- 30 signs: phonograms. Positional notation, 0. Technical memory of language: ideograms. Numerals. Measurement units. Myths, rites, oral transmission. Icons.

Limits of the Contemporary Web • Linguistic, cultural and disciplinary fragmentation. • Search engines look for characters strings instead of looking for concepts or subjects (that are independent from words in natural languages). • No automatic hyperlink generation between documents on same subjects. • No automatic semantic distance calculus (even in relatively homogeneous corpuses). • No transverse automatic inferences (across ontologies, terminologies or documentary languages).

Virtual Memory Architecture Noosphere Interconnection between significations. 2015

Web 1995

Internet 1980

Computer 1950

concepts addresses . Semantic computing, multimedia exploration. Shared virtual semantic memory. Global collective intelligence. Augmentation of interpretation. Interconnection between documents. URL = http://pages addresses. Search engines, browsers. Global multimedia hypertextual public sphere. Interconnection between computers. Internet Protocol = information servers addresses. Routers. Personal computing. Virtual communities. Digitized media convergence. Interconnection between transistors. Computer memory = bits addresses. Operating systems. Applications software Augmentation of logical and arithmetical processing.

Why Semantic Numbers ? • (1) Natural constraint: Natural languages (semantic adressing systems of human memory) are designed by biological evolution to be processed by brains, not by computers. • (2) Cultural opportunity: Interconnected automatic symbol manipulators compose the global medium of human language and cultural signs. • (1) AND (2) => Problem: what semantic addressing for the virtual memory of collective intelligence ? • Response to the problem: A computable symbolic system able to address any concept. IEML semantic numbers. • Result: Fully automatable exploitation of the semantic content of information across linguistic, cultural and disciplinary barriers.

The Five Laws of Computational Semantics 1. No patent: Semantic numbers are public domain. 2. No exclusion: Semantic numbers address a virtually infinite variety of concepts. 3. No ontological hierarchy : Semantic numbers provide a peer to peer relation between concepts and ontologies. 4. No arbitrary authorithy: The IEML dictionary is built and discussed publicly by a multidisciplinary and multicultural community of ontology managers and metalaguage specialists. 5. No mystery: The IEML community develops a rational methodology to connect semantic numbers to concepts in natural languages.

INFORMATION ECONOMY

SYMBOLIC WORK

RESEARCHERS COMMUNITIES People - Applications

COMPUTATIONAL SEMANTICS Concepts: search - relations - analysis - synthesis - inference - measurement

OPEN TOOLS

MATHEMATICAL SYSTEM FOR SEMANTIC ADRESSING IEML Information Economy Meta Language XML - UNICODE WWW : URL - HTTP - HTML Internet : TCP-IP

COMMON WEALTH

DIGITAL MEMORY documents

SEMANTIC WEB RDF - SPARKL OWL - other norms -

INFORMATION FLUX

aspiration creation

creation collective

création

intelligence

aspiration Collective intelligence dynamics

création

Why current social sciences could be better at promoting human development •

Sciences of nature since the scientific revolution – Universal physical space – High tech observation instruments – Formalized and consistent languages – High computability – High testability – « Explicit » shareable, cumulative knowledge => strong knowledge management

•

Current Sciences of culture – Fragmentation among disciplines and paradigms. No integrated causal model of human development. – Low tech observation instruments – Non-formalized languages or different formalizations according to cultures, disciplines and paradigms – Low computability – Low testability – « Tacit » knowledge (nonshareable, non-cumulative) => weak knowledge management

THREE LEVELS

conceptware

MEASURABLE SEMANTIC & PRAGMATIC PHENOMENA

semantic computing

cultural sciences

software

MATHEMATICAL CALCULUS

classical computing

natural sciences

hardware

MEASURABLE PHYSICAL & BIOLOGICAL PHENOMENA

Human Language • Syntax – Combinations of elements – Multi-leveled articulation

• Semantic – Potentially infinite # of distinct representations – Hierarchically organized in sets and subsets

• Pragmatic – Ability to tie and untie a potentatially infinite # of human relationships, using syntax and semantic.

• ==> Reflexive consciousness • ==> Culture (human collective intelligence)

Discursive Thought

Linguistic: Signified Being Scholastic: Conceptus Peirce: Interpretant Husserl: Intentionnality

Sign Linguistic: Signifier Scholastic: Vox Peirce: Foundation of sign Husserl: Noeme

Thing Linguistic: Referent Scholastic: Res Peirce: Object Husserl: Object

emotional intelligence

Religion, ethics, law, institutions, psychology relational thought

Culture formal intelligence Mathematics, philosophy, communication, art, literature, semiotics, abstract thought

Practical intelligence Hunting, fishing, agriculture, architecture, industry, engineering, technical thought

Communication Universes of possible meanings Intentions Interpretants CONCEPTS Symbols Cultures

Objects Natures / Ontologies to the virtual

Attractions Desires

Repulsions Laws

AFFECTS Dynamic balances Liberties

Foregrounds Texts

Backgrounds Contexts

PERCEPTS Forms Readings / Writings

Experience Possible spatio-temporal universes

to the actual

COMPUTATIONAL SEMANTICS SEMANTIC NUMBERS NUMBERS

CONCEPTS

Computers Non-humans / Humans

Interpretants Communities

Computability Notation systems

Structures Natures / Cultures

Symbols Cultures

Objects Ontologies

Scientific observation of collective intelligence Mathematics, computer science, engineering

Natural and social sciences, humanistic disciplines, ontologies management

Addressing, measurement and calculus of conceptual dynamics in cyberspace

Transmission and development of knowledge on concepts ecosystems

KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT HUMAN DEVELOPMENT