[ba-ohs-talk] Meaning of Knowledge

[Rod Welch <rowelch@attglobal.net>]

Jack,    (01)

Can't make an omelet without a little heat.  We began this task on
000120 of establishing a baseline meaning of knowledge in order to
build a dynamic knowledge repository (DKR)....    (02)

http://www.welchco.com/sd/08/00101/02/00/01/20/080146.HTM#5063    (03)

Accordingly, it is helpful for Murray in his powerful letter today to
flush out folks on the purpose of a DKR, and by extension, the meaning
of "knowledge," contending that accuracy is not a big deal in email
because it is like conversation, etc.      (04)

Does this really stand up, when we hear from the doctor, who is going
to do an operation or prescribe treatment, that they don't have time
to communicate with the patient, because they get too many email from
other doctors?  Wouldn't we like to hope that, and perhaps put some
capability in play to help ensure that, communication is accurate, at
least on our case, so that the doctor doesn't get mixed up and make a
mistake, per recent discussion on 020726...    (05)

http://www.welchco.com/sd/08/00101/02/02/07/26/160013.HTM#WF42    (06)

...and reports that communication (especially the relaxed kind in
conversation and email) is the biggest cause of medical mistakes,
which make going to the doctor 300% more likely to cause death and
mayhem than driving and flying combined, as reported on 990912....    (07)

http://www.welchco.com/sd/08/00101/02/99/09/12/092609.HTM#0001    (08)

Of course, arguing that linking the record does not build a knowledge
base, i.e., a dynamic knowledge repository, as Murray maintains,
raises the question: if Doug didn't want people to link to the OHS
Launch Plan, why did he ask for this?  If making connections of cause
and effect does not grow and maintain knowledge and wisdom, why
bother?  If accuracy in communication is not important, why does the
judge cite back to the record, and mention alignment with thus and so
case showing the why and wherefore of a decision?  Why do people ask
"What's the story," if getting the correct story is not part of the
deal?  Why do people ask "Then what happened?" if chronology is not
the core of human reasoning, as discussed in NWO...    (09)

http://www.welchco.com/03/00050/01/09/03/02/03/0309.HTM#4235    (010)

Why did Aristotle bother to remind that the least initial deviation is
multiplied later a thousand fold?  Notice the word "later" is the
critical factor of time that compounds misunderstanding through
meaning drift.    (011)

So, if we decide that getting the story correct is useful, and if
understanding chronology is useful, what does it take to do that in
order to solve world problems, make a big decision, or, as Justice
Mosk commented on 911130, mow the lawn?    (012)

http://www.welchco.com/sd/08/00101/02/91/11/30/080020.HTM#P15J    (013)

Again, we are just dealing with cultural viscosity (ignorance, fear
and denial), discussed in NWO...    (014)

http://www.welchco.com/03/00050/01/09/03/02/03/0309.HTM#4305      (015)

We all have different experiences in life.  In my case, there was an
opportunity at a fairly early age to observe how complex communication
becomes, which causes mistakes in understanding to be overlooked in
the moment, when everybody is relaxed, as Murray proposes today, until
days, weeks, months, and years later when disaster strikes as on
010911, or an entire edifice collapses, as at Enron, et al., for
reasons noted on 000723....    (016)

http://www.welchco.com/sd/08/00101/02/00/07/23/141404.HTM#H44G    (017)

It took a long time to move from orality to literacy.  We should not
expect the journey from information to knowledge will be any less
interesting, as seen by Plato's dialogs on Phaedrus, reviewed on
991209.....    (018)

http://www.welchco.com/sd/08/00101/02/99/12/09/101003.HTM#3416     (019)

But, as well transformation seems to be equally rewarding, noted by
one of your heroes, Douglas Lenat, reviewed on 010622....    (020)

http://www.welchco.com/sd/08/00101/02/01/06/22/151656.HTM#N668    (021)

Today, we experience in letters from Ed, Murray and Chris the
challenge of Prometheus, who stepped up to the plate to impart the
power of "knowledge" and was found arrogant and threatening to
interests of the day, reviewed on 991108....    (022)

http://www.welchco.com/sd/08/00101/02/99/11/08/191947.HTM#5368    (023)

...or, as Andy Grove at Intel describes: bringing improvement is like
"Walking through the valley of death."    (024)

I do think more voices are needed to support the requirement for
proactive alignment in the record, i.e., adding intelligence that
converts information into knowledge.  Although Doug does not use the
words "align," "audit trail," nor "traceability to original sources,"
per se, my sense is that is what Doug was talking about in his 1972
paper on "knowledge" reviewed on 000327...    (025)

http://www.welchco.com/sd/08/00101/02/00/03/27/094001.HTM#3971    (026)

By copy, I am giving Doug the opportunity to correct any
misunderstanding on this point.  By copy, as well, I am responding to
Chris and Murray, who deserve credit for taking the time to address a
critical issue with energy and strength of conviction.    (027)

If only one or two people are working the problem, it is kind of up
hill. If more people put shoulders to the grind stone, we make better
progress under the rule: "Many hands make light work."    (028)

Rod    (029)

*************    (030)

Jack Park wrote:
> 
> >I don't think that is the case, and to presume such is an
> >arrogant projection of one's own interests, energy and skills
> >upon others.
> >
> >Therefore, it seems wise to consider--and this is where I think
> >you continually make your error and make yourself appear a bit
> >inhuman--what can be done to make tools which are usable to a
> >wide body of people, not just Rod Welch. You have habituated
> >yourself to a certain style of work with your tools. You've been
> >using them for a long time.
> 
> Can't say I didn't warn you ;o)
> 
> Turns out that when I say people are lazy on lists, I'm making the same
> mistake.
> There must be a better way...
> 
> Jack
> ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
> XML Topic Maps: Creating and Using Topic Maps for the Web.
> Addison-Wesley, ISBN 0-201-74960-2.
> 
> NexistWiki
> http://www.nexist.org/wiki/    (031)