This document introduces four types of "knowledge restaurants" that represent different models of knowledge sharing in the proposed "f-era". The types are: 1) "buffet"-type knowledge sharing where knowledge is openly accessible to all, 2) "à la carte"-type where individuals can access specific knowledge items, 3) "recommended by the chef"-type where certain knowledge is promoted, and 4) "coffee-room"-type knowledge sharing through informal discussion. The document discusses how paradigms are shifting from discipline-based to problem-domain based and proposes replacing the "building" metaphor for knowledge with a "web" metaphor due to the ephemeral nature of modern knowledge.
Quine and the Abortive Scientific Revival of Metaphysicsijtsrd
A critical analysis of Quine metaphysics leads to the idea that nothing exist independent of natural sciences. This obliges us into the question can metaphysics be reduced to a natural science To tackle this question Quine dismantles First Philosophy by considering it as prior philosophy which is meaningless in the context of natural sciences. Affirmatively, he adopts naturalism whose locus is science. In line with this, he revived metaphysics from its speculative or abstract nature to a discipline that is continuous with natural sciences. This is attained through the pragmatic value of metaphysics. That is, via its application in the scientific processes. But in the final analysis metaphysics cannot be accommodated by natural sciences because it would be the loss of its essence of speculation and abstraction. The abortive revival of metaphysics is also explained by the fact natural sciences have a common denominator which is the scientific method and metaphysics is not structure on this method. Abdu Karimo Baji | Chatue Jacques "Quine and the Abortive Scientific Revival of Metaphysics" Published in International Journal of Trend in Scientific Research and Development (ijtsrd), ISSN: 2456-6470, Volume-4 | Issue-5 , August 2020, URL: https://www.ijtsrd.com/papers/ijtsrd32923.pdf Paper Url :https://www.ijtsrd.com/humanities-and-the-arts/philosophy/32923/quine-and-the-abortive-scientific-revival-of-metaphysics/abdu-karimo-baji
Quine and the Abortive Scientific Revival of Metaphysicsijtsrd
A critical analysis of Quine metaphysics leads to the idea that nothing exist independent of natural sciences. This obliges us into the question can metaphysics be reduced to a natural science To tackle this question Quine dismantles First Philosophy by considering it as prior philosophy which is meaningless in the context of natural sciences. Affirmatively, he adopts naturalism whose locus is science. In line with this, he revived metaphysics from its speculative or abstract nature to a discipline that is continuous with natural sciences. This is attained through the pragmatic value of metaphysics. That is, via its application in the scientific processes. But in the final analysis metaphysics cannot be accommodated by natural sciences because it would be the loss of its essence of speculation and abstraction. The abortive revival of metaphysics is also explained by the fact natural sciences have a common denominator which is the scientific method and metaphysics is not structure on this method. Abdu Karimo Baji | Chatue Jacques "Quine and the Abortive Scientific Revival of Metaphysics" Published in International Journal of Trend in Scientific Research and Development (ijtsrd), ISSN: 2456-6470, Volume-4 | Issue-5 , August 2020, URL: https://www.ijtsrd.com/papers/ijtsrd32923.pdf Paper Url :https://www.ijtsrd.com/humanities-and-the-arts/philosophy/32923/quine-and-the-abortive-scientific-revival-of-metaphysics/abdu-karimo-baji
Dear student, Cheap Assignment Help, an online tutoring company, provides students with a wide range of online assignment help services for students studying in classes K-12, and College or university. The Expert team of professional online assignment help tutors at Cheap Assignment Help .COM provides a wide range of help with assignments through services such as college assignment help, university assignment help, homework assignment help, email assignment help and online assignment help. Our expert team consists of passionate and professional assignment help tutors, having masters and PhD degrees from the best universities of the world, from different countries like Australia, United Kingdom, United States, Canada, UAE and many more who give the best quality and plagiarism free answers of the assignment help questions submitted by students, on sharp deadline. Cheap Assignment Help .COM tutors are available 24x7 to provide assignment help in diverse fields - Math, Chemistry, Physics, Writing, Thesis, Essay, Accounting, Finance, Data Analysis, Case Studies, Term Papers, and Projects etc. We also provide assistance to the problems in programming languages such as C/C++, Java, Python, Matlab, .Net, Engineering assignment help and Finance assignment help. The expert team of certified online tutors in diverse fields at Cheap Assignment Help .COM available around the clock (24x7) to provide live help to students with their assignment and questions. We have also excelled in providing E-education with latest web technology. The Students can communicate with our online assignment tutors using voice, video and an interactive white board. We help students in solving their problems, assignments, tests and in study plans. You will feel like you are learning from a highly skilled online tutor in person just like in classroom teaching. You can see what the tutor is writing, and at the same time you can ask the questions which arise in your mind. You only need a PC with Internet connection or a Laptop with Wi-Fi Internet access. We provide live online tutoring which can be accessed at anytime and anywhere according to student’s convenience. We have tutors in every subject such as Math, Chemistry, Biology, Physics and English whatever be the school level. Our college and university level tutors provide engineering online tutoring in areas such as Computer Science, Electrical and Electronics engineering, Mechanical engineering and Chemical engineering. Regards http://www.cheapassignmenthelp.com/ http://www.cheapassignmenthelp.co.uk/
Overview of Presentations in the Field of Philosophy and ScienceAlfred Driessen
Presentations in the field of science and philosophy
Alfred Driessen
2007-2017
This document gives an overview of his presentations with hyperlinks to slideshare, where the presentations can be viewed and the pdf-files can be downloaded.
The majority of physicists take it for granted that the universe is made up of matter. In turn, matter is
composed of atoms; atoms are made up of particles such as electrons, protons, neutrons, etc. Also, protons
and neutrons are composed of quarks, etc. Furthermore, that everything in nature is governed by the
known laws of physics and chemistry. The author only partially shares this view. He argues that many
phenomena in the universe may depend on rules or factors as yet incorporated by the physical sciences.
The last few years have led him to reflect on the many unsolved physics problems, such as the quest for the
theory of everything (ToE), the arrow of time, the interpretation of quantum mechanics, the fine-tuned
universe, etc. to mention just a few. The author posits that a field carries information, performs various
mathematical and computational operations, and behaves as an intelligent entity embedded with
consciousness.
Dear student, Cheap Assignment Help, an online tutoring company, provides students with a wide range of online assignment help services for students studying in classes K-12, and College or university. The Expert team of professional online assignment help tutors at Cheap Assignment Help .COM provides a wide range of help with assignments through services such as college assignment help, university assignment help, homework assignment help, email assignment help and online assignment help. Our expert team consists of passionate and professional assignment help tutors, having masters and PhD degrees from the best universities of the world, from different countries like Australia, United Kingdom, United States, Canada, UAE and many more who give the best quality and plagiarism free answers of the assignment help questions submitted by students, on sharp deadline. Cheap Assignment Help .COM tutors are available 24x7 to provide assignment help in diverse fields - Math, Chemistry, Physics, Writing, Thesis, Essay, Accounting, Finance, Data Analysis, Case Studies, Term Papers, and Projects etc. We also provide assistance to the problems in programming languages such as C/C++, Java, Python, Matlab, .Net, Engineering assignment help and Finance assignment help. The expert team of certified online tutors in diverse fields at Cheap Assignment Help .COM available around the clock (24x7) to provide live help to students with their assignment and questions. We have also excelled in providing E-education with latest web technology. The Students can communicate with our online assignment tutors using voice, video and an interactive white board. We help students in solving their problems, assignments, tests and in study plans. You will feel like you are learning from a highly skilled online tutor in person just like in classroom teaching. You can see what the tutor is writing, and at the same time you can ask the questions which arise in your mind. You only need a PC with Internet connection or a Laptop with Wi-Fi Internet access. We provide live online tutoring which can be accessed at anytime and anywhere according to student’s convenience. We have tutors in every subject such as Math, Chemistry, Biology, Physics and English whatever be the school level. Our college and university level tutors provide engineering online tutoring in areas such as Computer Science, Electrical and Electronics engineering, Mechanical engineering and Chemical engineering. Regards http://www.cheapassignmenthelp.com/ http://www.cheapassignmenthelp.co.uk/
Overview of Presentations in the Field of Philosophy and ScienceAlfred Driessen
Presentations in the field of science and philosophy
Alfred Driessen
2007-2017
This document gives an overview of his presentations with hyperlinks to slideshare, where the presentations can be viewed and the pdf-files can be downloaded.
The majority of physicists take it for granted that the universe is made up of matter. In turn, matter is
composed of atoms; atoms are made up of particles such as electrons, protons, neutrons, etc. Also, protons
and neutrons are composed of quarks, etc. Furthermore, that everything in nature is governed by the
known laws of physics and chemistry. The author only partially shares this view. He argues that many
phenomena in the universe may depend on rules or factors as yet incorporated by the physical sciences.
The last few years have led him to reflect on the many unsolved physics problems, such as the quest for the
theory of everything (ToE), the arrow of time, the interpretation of quantum mechanics, the fine-tuned
universe, etc. to mention just a few. The author posits that a field carries information, performs various
mathematical and computational operations, and behaves as an intelligent entity embedded with
consciousness.
Azoktól, akik valamiben igazán profik, ne várjunk elkötelezettséget egy munkahely iránt. Ők a munkájuk iránt elkötelezettek, dolgozzanak bárhol. Valamicskét hűségesek a munkahelyhez is, ha a szakmai profizmus azt megengedi, és nem csak megfizetik, hanem meg is becsülik őket
The Impact of Modern Science and Technology Essay
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1. TEN MYTHS OF SCIENCE REEXAMINING WHAT WE THINK WE KNOW...W. .docxambersalomon88660
1. TEN MYTHS OF SCIENCE: REEXAMINING WHAT WE THINK WE KNOW...
W. McComas 1996
This article addresses and attempts to refute several of the most widespread and enduring misconceptions held by students regarding the enterprise of science. The ten myths discussed include the common notions that theories become laws, that hypotheses are best characterized as educated guesses, and that there is a commonly-applied scientific method. In addition, the article includes discussion of other incorrect ideas such as the view that evidence leads to sure knowledge, that science and its methods provide absolute proof, and that science is not a creative endeavor. Finally, the myths that scientists are objective, that experiments are the sole route to scientific knowledge and that scientific conclusions are continually reviewed conclude this presentation. The paper ends with a plea that instruction in and opportunities to experience the nature of science are vital in preservice and inservice teacher education programs to help unseat the myths of science.
Myths are typically defined as traditional views, fables, legends or stories. As such, myths can be entertaining and even educational since they help people make sense of the world. In fact, the explanatory role of myths most likely accounts for their development, spread and persistence. However, when fact and fiction blur, myths lose their entertainment value and serve only to block full understanding. Such is the case with the myths of science.
Scholar Joseph Campbell (1968) has proposed that the similarity among many folk myths worldwide is due to a subconscious link between all peoples, but no such link can explain the myths of science. Misconceptions about science are most likely due to the lack of philosophy of science content in teacher education programs, the failure of such programs to provide and require authentic science experiences for preservice teachers and the generally shallow treatment of the nature of science in the precollege textbooks to which teachers might turn for guidance.
As Steven Jay Gould points out in The Case of the Creeping Fox Terrier Clone (1988), science textbook writers are among the most egregious purveyors of myth and inaccuracy. The fox terrier mentioned in the title refers to the classic comparison used to express the size of the dawn horse, the tiny precursor to the modem horse. This comparison is unfortunate for two reasons. Not only was this horse ancestor much bigger than a fox terrier, but the fox terrier breed of dog is virtually unknown to American students. The major criticism leveled by Gould is that once this comparison took hold, no one bothered to check its validity or utility. Through time, one author after another simply repeated the inept comparison and continued a tradition that has made many science texts virtual clones of each other on this and countless other points.
In an attempt to provide a more realistic view of science and point out issues o.
Short Speech on Save Trees and Save Planet EarthThis form of Speech On Save Trees And Save Planet Earth In English is useful for students in grades 4-7, as they can speak about the topic in a short time using simple words for everyone to understand.Good morning everyone, I ABC (mention your name) feel very fortunate to get this opportunity on this prestigious platform to speak on an important topic: Save Trees And Save Planet Earth. This planet has seen so many inventions and modern technologies that it is taking over, but none of it can do the work of the natural resources.Trees are one of the most important natural resources that give life to every living thing. We are so heavily dependent on this natural resource and in return, we are only destroying them by cutting them and harming the planet. The trees selflessly provide so many benefits to humans and humans selfishly repay this debt by cutting down trees. If this practice of deforestation continues and people don’t realize the need to give back to the planet by planting trees then there won’t be a planet to live on anymore. Trees protect the natural environment by balancing the pollution levels and purifying such harmful air that has been created due to manmade activities. It acts as a home and shelter to so many animals, helps in raising fertility of the soil naturally and we only cause harm to it. Let us all pledge to not continue this harmful activity and take the route of afforestation. Start by planting trees at home and in your neighborhood. Do it for the benefit of the environment and planet even if your efforts go unnoticed. Spread awareness about the importance of planting trees and start early. Save trees and save the planet.Thank you.Short Speech on Save Trees and Save Planet EarthThis form of Speech On Save Trees And Save Planet Earth In English is useful for students in grades 4-7, as they can speak about the topic in a short time using simple words for everyone to understand.Good morning everyone, I ABC (mention your name) feel very fortunate to get this opportunity on this prestigious platform to speak on an important topic: Save Trees And Save Planet Earth. This planet has seen so many inventions and modern technologies that it is taking over, but none of it can do the work of the natural resources.Trees are one of the most important natural resources that give life to every living thing. We are so heavily dependent on this natural resource and in return, we are only destroying them by cutting them and harming the planet. The trees selflessly provide so many benefits to humans and humans selfishly repay this debt by cutting down trees. If this practice of deforestation continues and people don’t realize the need to give back to the planet by planting trees then there won’t be a planet to live on anymore. Trees protect the natural environment by balancing the pollution levels and purifying such harmful air that has been created due to manmade activities. It acts as a home and
Epistemology, technology and knowledge growth - Meetup session 4William Hall
This is the 4th of 23 presentations in a series introducing and outlining my hypertext book project, "Application Holy Wars or a New Reformation - A Fugue on the Theory of Knowledge. The project explores the interactions of technology and cognition in the extraordinary evolutionary history of the human species. Here I get into the Subject or meat of the book, building on Karl Popper's evolutionary epistemology and Thomas Kuhn's scientific revolutions.
1
An Introduction to Philosophy
W. Russ Payne
Bellevue College
Copyright (cc by nc 4.0)
2015 W. Russ Payne
Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document with attribution under the
terms of Creative Commons: Attribution Noncommercial 4.0 International or any later version of
this license. A copy of the license is found at http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
2
Contents
Introduction ………………………………………………. 3
Chapter 1: What Philosophy Is ………………………….. 5
Chapter 2: How to do Philosophy ………………….……. 11
Chapter 3: Ancient Philosophy ………………….………. 23
Chapter 4: Rationalism ………….………………….……. 38
Chapter 5: Empiricism …………………………………… 50
Chapter 6: Philosophy of Science ………………….…..… 58
Chapter 7: Philosophy of Mind …………………….……. 72
Chapter 8: Love and Happiness …………………….……. 79
Chapter 9: Meta Ethics …………………………………… 94
Chapter 10: Right Action ……………………...…………. 108
Chapter 11: Social Justice …………………………...…… 120
3
Introduction
The goal of this text is to present philosophy to newcomers as a living discipline with historical
roots. While a few early chapters are historically organized, my goal in the historical chapters is
to trace a developmental progression of thought that introduces basic philosophical methods and
frames issues that remain relevant today. Later chapters are topically organized. These include
philosophy of science and philosophy of mind, areas where philosophy has shown dramatic
recent progress.
This text concludes with four chapters on ethics, broadly construed. I cover traditional theories of
right action in the third of these. Students are first invited first to think about what is good for
themselves and their relationships in a chapter of love and happiness. Next a few meta-ethical
issues are considered; namely, whether they are moral truths and if so what makes them so. The
end of the ethics sequence addresses social justice, what it is for one’s community to be good.
Our sphere of concern expands progressively through these chapters. Our inquiry recapitulates
the course of development into moral maturity.
Over the course of the text I’ve tried to outline the continuity of thought that leads from the
historical roots of philosophy to a few of the diverse areas of inquiry that continue to make
significant contributions to our understanding of ourselves and the world we live in.
As an undergraduate philosophy major, one of my favorite professors once told me that
philosophers really do have an influence on how people think. I was pleased to hear that the kind
of inquiry I found interesting and rewarding might also be relevant to people’s lives and make a
difference in the world. Then he completed his thought, “it only takes about 300 years.” Over the
course of my teaching career, it has struck me that the opinions many of my students come to
class with have jus ...
1
An Introduction to Philosophy
W. Russ Payne
Bellevue College
Copyright (cc by nc 4.0)
2015 W. Russ Payne
Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document with attribution under the
terms of Creative Commons: Attribution Noncommercial 4.0 International or any later version of
this license. A copy of the license is found at http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
2
Contents
Introduction ………………………………………………. 3
Chapter 1: What Philosophy Is ………………………….. 5
Chapter 2: How to do Philosophy ………………….……. 11
Chapter 3: Ancient Philosophy ………………….………. 23
Chapter 4: Rationalism ………….………………….……. 38
Chapter 5: Empiricism …………………………………… 50
Chapter 6: Philosophy of Science ………………….…..… 58
Chapter 7: Philosophy of Mind …………………….……. 72
Chapter 8: Love and Happiness …………………….……. 79
Chapter 9: Meta Ethics …………………………………… 94
Chapter 10: Right Action ……………………...…………. 108
Chapter 11: Social Justice …………………………...…… 120
3
Introduction
The goal of this text is to present philosophy to newcomers as a living discipline with historical
roots. While a few early chapters are historically organized, my goal in the historical chapters is
to trace a developmental progression of thought that introduces basic philosophical methods and
frames issues that remain relevant today. Later chapters are topically organized. These include
philosophy of science and philosophy of mind, areas where philosophy has shown dramatic
recent progress.
This text concludes with four chapters on ethics, broadly construed. I cover traditional theories of
right action in the third of these. Students are first invited first to think about what is good for
themselves and their relationships in a chapter of love and happiness. Next a few meta-ethical
issues are considered; namely, whether they are moral truths and if so what makes them so. The
end of the ethics sequence addresses social justice, what it is for one’s community to be good.
Our sphere of concern expands progressively through these chapters. Our inquiry recapitulates
the course of development into moral maturity.
Over the course of the text I’ve tried to outline the continuity of thought that leads from the
historical roots of philosophy to a few of the diverse areas of inquiry that continue to make
significant contributions to our understanding of ourselves and the world we live in.
As an undergraduate philosophy major, one of my favorite professors once told me that
philosophers really do have an influence on how people think. I was pleased to hear that the kind
of inquiry I found interesting and rewarding might also be relevant to people’s lives and make a
difference in the world. Then he completed his thought, “it only takes about 300 years.” Over the
course of my teaching career, it has struck me that the opinions many of my students come to
class with have jus ...
Throughout the process of f-learning, the coachee-executives can ask their strategic partners (CEO, CKO, CHO, CIO) to share new knowledge with regards to the new concepts and to compare them to the available experience.
Operation “Blue Star” is the only event in the history of Independent India where the state went into war with its own people. Even after about 40 years it is not clear if it was culmination of states anger over people of the region, a political game of power or start of dictatorial chapter in the democratic setup.
The people of Punjab felt alienated from main stream due to denial of their just demands during a long democratic struggle since independence. As it happen all over the word, it led to militant struggle with great loss of lives of military, police and civilian personnel. Killing of Indira Gandhi and massacre of innocent Sikhs in Delhi and other India cities was also associated with this movement.
Synthetic Fiber Construction in lab .pptxPavel ( NSTU)
Synthetic fiber production is a fascinating and complex field that blends chemistry, engineering, and environmental science. By understanding these aspects, students can gain a comprehensive view of synthetic fiber production, its impact on society and the environment, and the potential for future innovations. Synthetic fibers play a crucial role in modern society, impacting various aspects of daily life, industry, and the environment. ynthetic fibers are integral to modern life, offering a range of benefits from cost-effectiveness and versatility to innovative applications and performance characteristics. While they pose environmental challenges, ongoing research and development aim to create more sustainable and eco-friendly alternatives. Understanding the importance of synthetic fibers helps in appreciating their role in the economy, industry, and daily life, while also emphasizing the need for sustainable practices and innovation.
Model Attribute Check Company Auto PropertyCeline George
In Odoo, the multi-company feature allows you to manage multiple companies within a single Odoo database instance. Each company can have its own configurations while still sharing common resources such as products, customers, and suppliers.
The French Revolution, which began in 1789, was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France. It marked the decline of absolute monarchies, the rise of secular and democratic republics, and the eventual rise of Napoleon Bonaparte. This revolutionary period is crucial in understanding the transition from feudalism to modernity in Europe.
For more information, visit-www.vavaclasses.com
Read| The latest issue of The Challenger is here! We are thrilled to announce that our school paper has qualified for the NATIONAL SCHOOLS PRESS CONFERENCE (NSPC) 2024. Thank you for your unwavering support and trust. Dive into the stories that made us stand out!
Ethnobotany and Ethnopharmacology:
Ethnobotany in herbal drug evaluation,
Impact of Ethnobotany in traditional medicine,
New development in herbals,
Bio-prospecting tools for drug discovery,
Role of Ethnopharmacology in drug evaluation,
Reverse Pharmacology.
How to Make a Field invisible in Odoo 17Celine George
It is possible to hide or invisible some fields in odoo. Commonly using “invisible” attribute in the field definition to invisible the fields. This slide will show how to make a field invisible in odoo 17.
The Roman Empire A Historical Colossus.pdfkaushalkr1407
The Roman Empire, a vast and enduring power, stands as one of history's most remarkable civilizations, leaving an indelible imprint on the world. It emerged from the Roman Republic, transitioning into an imperial powerhouse under the leadership of Augustus Caesar in 27 BCE. This transformation marked the beginning of an era defined by unprecedented territorial expansion, architectural marvels, and profound cultural influence.
The empire's roots lie in the city of Rome, founded, according to legend, by Romulus in 753 BCE. Over centuries, Rome evolved from a small settlement to a formidable republic, characterized by a complex political system with elected officials and checks on power. However, internal strife, class conflicts, and military ambitions paved the way for the end of the Republic. Julius Caesar’s dictatorship and subsequent assassination in 44 BCE created a power vacuum, leading to a civil war. Octavian, later Augustus, emerged victorious, heralding the Roman Empire’s birth.
Under Augustus, the empire experienced the Pax Romana, a 200-year period of relative peace and stability. Augustus reformed the military, established efficient administrative systems, and initiated grand construction projects. The empire's borders expanded, encompassing territories from Britain to Egypt and from Spain to the Euphrates. Roman legions, renowned for their discipline and engineering prowess, secured and maintained these vast territories, building roads, fortifications, and cities that facilitated control and integration.
The Roman Empire’s society was hierarchical, with a rigid class system. At the top were the patricians, wealthy elites who held significant political power. Below them were the plebeians, free citizens with limited political influence, and the vast numbers of slaves who formed the backbone of the economy. The family unit was central, governed by the paterfamilias, the male head who held absolute authority.
Culturally, the Romans were eclectic, absorbing and adapting elements from the civilizations they encountered, particularly the Greeks. Roman art, literature, and philosophy reflected this synthesis, creating a rich cultural tapestry. Latin, the Roman language, became the lingua franca of the Western world, influencing numerous modern languages.
Roman architecture and engineering achievements were monumental. They perfected the arch, vault, and dome, constructing enduring structures like the Colosseum, Pantheon, and aqueducts. These engineering marvels not only showcased Roman ingenuity but also served practical purposes, from public entertainment to water supply.
Welcome to TechSoup New Member Orientation and Q&A (May 2024).pdfTechSoup
In this webinar you will learn how your organization can access TechSoup's wide variety of product discount and donation programs. From hardware to software, we'll give you a tour of the tools available to help your nonprofit with productivity, collaboration, financial management, donor tracking, security, and more.
Chapter 3 - Islamic Banking Products and Services.pptx
F knowledge restaurants
1. Knowledge Restaurants at the End of the Paradigm
Zoltán Baracskai Viktor Dörfler Jolán Velencei
Doctus Co. Strathclyde University Budapest University of
Hungary United Kingdom Technology and Economics
zoltan@doctus.info viktor.dorfler@strath.ac.uk Hungary
velencei@imvt.bme.hu
There is a theory which states that if ever anyone discovers
exactly what the Universe is for and why it is here, it will instantly
disappear and be replaced by something more bizarrely
inexplicable.
There is another theory which states that this has already
happened.
Douglas Adams: The Restaurant at the End of the Universe
Abstract
The e-era is obsolete. It is time for a step forward, to the f-era. In this new era the Kuhnian
conception of paradigm should be replaced by the new f-paradigm; the e-knowledge-sharing1
should be replaced by f-knowledge-sharing2. In all these «f» stands for «free». In many
languages the need for knowledge is expressed by the words of thirst or hunger. This gave us
the idea to use metaphors of restaurants to the different types of f-knowledge-sharing; we
distinguish four types: the „buffet‟-type, the „à la carte‟-type, the „recommended by the chef‟-
type, and the „coffee-room‟-type knowledge sharing.
Introduction
Today we have a number of epithets describing our era, business and society. We talk about
knowledge era, information society, electronic business, collaborative commerce, etc. The
dominant one-letter prefix is «e» indicating the electronic -era, -society, -business, etc. In this
paper we suggest starting to use the next letter in the alphabet to emphasize that we think that
the e-era is obsolete; a new era, a post-e-era is on the doorstep: the f-era. Of course, this is
only a convenient ex-post explanation: what we originally wanted to emphasize is the notion
of freedom. Still, the previous explanation is correct as we think that the freedom dominantly
characterizes the post-e-era. In this paper we focus on knowledge sharing in the f-era, for
distinction we call it f-knowledge-sharing. We introduce four metaphors to describe the four
major types of knowledge sharing that we have indentified. Some of them will be easy to
recognize as we see them every day, others are rare today but, having this framework, we will
easily recognize them once we see them.
1
The «e» here applies to the knowledge sharing, not to knowledge only, so it is not about sharing the
e-knowledge but the e-kind of knowledge sharing.
2
Similarly to the previous we do not talk about the sharing of f-knowledge but about new ways of
knowledge sharing which we indicate with «f».
2. To properly distinguish the four types knowledge sharing, as we will call them the four
knowledge restaurants, first we will revisit the topic of paradigms; of course, we will use the
opportunity to flash a preliminary picture of our f-paradigm. To introduce the four knowledge
restaurants we also need to talk about the types of knowledge. As we worked, this happened
in the other order, we first described the four knowledge restaurants and then we realized that
we have to define a new type of knowledge, but this line of discussion is easier to follow.
The end of the paradigm
Before Kuhn (1996) developed the meta-paradigm of paradigmatic sciences3 it was supposed
that knowledge is cumulative; i.e. that all new knowledge is based on the old knowledge –
this we may call the pyramid conception of knowledge. Kuhn has shown that this is only true
for certain periods in the life of a scientific discipline; this period Kuhn calls the normal
science. In the present section we will revisit the Kuhnian conception of paradigms to identify
three points where we suggest revising the original conception to establish the f-paradigm.
According to Kuhn the scientific disciplines, as they one by one (starting with mathematics,
astronomy, physics) separated from philosophy, first were in pre-paradigmatic state. In this
period each scientist had to build her/his results “from the basics”, using only philosophy as
foundation. When a discipline becomes mature a paradigm forms around it – until then we
can speak of an immature discipline. The paradigm determines what can – and must! – be
taken for granted, it allows some devices/methods and forbids others, and establishes which
problems are relevant for solving. It does not only determine the valid answers but the valid
questions as well. It can be said that a paradigm determines how the scientist sees the world of
her/his discipline; thus we use the metaphor of glasses through which one sees the world.
Usually there is only one paradigm in a discipline, rarely two. The reign of a paradigm is the
normal science; this is the period between two scientific revolutions. The normal science is
the time of puzzle-solving; the existing knowledge is further polished by filling the holes in it.
Nothing radical happens (Kuhn, 1996: 52):
“Normal science… is a highly cumulative enterprise, eminently successful in its aim, the
steady extension of the scope and precision of scientific knowledge. In all these respects it fits
with great precision the most usual image of scientific work. Yet one standard product of the
scientific enterprise is missing. Normal science does not aim at novelties of fact and theory
and, when successful, finds none.”
During normal science radical hypotheses cannot emerge, as nothing radically new can be
deduced from the old knowledge; moreover, such hypothesis usually contradicts at least a part
of the old knowledge. When a new conception appears which questions the foundations of the
paradigm we witness a scientific revolution. As in any revolution, it is not sure that the new
idea will win, but there is a fight. This period resembles the pre-paradigmatic science to some
extent, inasmuch as scientists often once more go back to build their ideas from the basics. To
emphasize this phenomenon we divorce R and D in R&D: the research is related to
paradigmatic change while the development is related to the normal period.
As it was said previously, Kuhn assigned paradigms to disciplines. Lakatos (1978) argued that
the typical descriptive units of examination should not be single theories (as basis of
3
The conception of paradigms can be generalized to the non-scientific disciplines but Kuhn‟s original
work addressed the science only.
3. disciplines) but rather scientific research programmes. In the last couple of decades we have
witnessed that in cognitive sciences – as in many other areas as well, e.g. in virtually all fields
of management – the mono-disciplinary problems have disappeared. We started to use three
new terms:
1. Multi-disciplinary problems are supposed to be examined in their entirety from the
point of view of all disciplines involved.
2. Inter-disciplinary problems mean that the problem is considered to be in an empty
zone between disciplines, not covered by any of them.
3. The most recent terminology mentions trans-disciplinary problems, meaning that they
are tackled using tools of various disciplines but they are not examined in their
entirety from the viewpoint of all these disciplines. Each discipline (or rather tools,
methods, models, etc. of each discipline) is used only when it is necessary.
The three terms can be connected in the process of scientific problem solving: We find a
problem or, more often, a problem domain, not covered by any discipline, i.e. an inter-
disciplinary problem (domain). A multidisciplinary team or, albeit rarely, a researcher with
multi-disciplinary knowledge background attempts to solve it; and they do it in a trans-
disciplinary process of (scientific) problem solving. As a result of the emergence of such
problems, researchers, and problem solving processes, a shift in the nature of paradigms is
emerging. For the first time in the history of science, we witness emerging paradigms not
around disciplines but around problem domains; such as the problem domain of cognitive
sciences. This is the first pillar of the f-paradigm.
While he rejected the pyramid conception of knowledge, emphasizing that the growth of
knowledge also involves deconstruction and sometimes even change of the place of building,
Kuhn still maintained the building-metaphor throughout his book. This was reasonable until
the mental constructions, and thus the theories and the paradigms based on them, outlived
people. Nowadays the mental constructions are ephemeral in comparison with the human
lifetime. Furthermore, as the breakthroughs, the radical hypotheses are always related to
paradigmatic changes, we can expect researchers change their paradigms frequently – and this
is really what we can see in the world of research. When we look at knowledge today,
scientific or otherwise, we do not see at all. Buildings are made of solid components, such as
brick and concrete, and this corresponds to well-structured definitions which were building
blocks of scientific theories for long time. Today we do not have strict definitions. Not only
because the advance in research is too fast so that there is no time to get to proper definitions
but it seems to be actually impossible to e.g. construct a strict definition of knowledge without
presupposing the concept of knowledge. The examples are countless in all human fields. This
is why Capra (1991: 364-365) chooses to give up not only the foundations but also the
conception of foundations: he replaces the building metaphor with the web metaphor. In our
interpretation this would be a web of metaphors and symbols. It not easy to be left without
any foundations whatsoever; as Einstein (quoted by Capra, 1989: 68) said when realized that
we cannot rely on such fundamental principles as space and time:
“It was as if the ground had been pulled out from under one, with no firm foundation to be
seen anywhere, upon which one could have built.”
We can only admire Einstein‟s enormous intellectual courage to go on with his ideas without
any foundation. However, similarly as an average student of mathematics is expected today to
do swimmingly deductions that made Euclid one of the greatest mathematical minds ever, we
4. expect researchers today to accept as their normal condition that there are no solid
foundations whatsoever, that they can only work with floating webs of less-than-concrete
metaphors and symbols. Furthermore, this floating web of metaphors and symbols does not
stand still, it keeps changing, and even if it seems to be still, its meaning keeps changing.
Thus the researcher is expected to change the interpretation and her/his glasses all the time.
This is the second pillar of the f-paradigm.
The last point we want to discuss about paradigms is how new knowledge of this is accepted.
Popper (1959) refuted the idea of positive verification and proposed the negative verification
(falsification) instead. This was, in turn, refuted by Kuhn (op. cit: 157-158), who argued that
new knowledge and new paradigm are accepted if they are convincing and if they promise
better results:
“… less on past achievement than on future promise.”
Therefore, Feyerabend (1993) declared that anything goes! So is there no verification at all?
We accept Polányi‟s (1966) argument of mutual control and thus the interpersonal
verification. The academic world is actually built on interpersonal verification; this is what we
do on a PhD viva or when reviewing conference/journal papers. It does not matter if we
attempt to verify or falsify hypotheses – what matters is whether the gatekeepers of the
discipline (Csíkszentmihályi, 1997) let in the new knowledge or not. The principle of
interpersonal verification is the third pillar of f-paradigm.
The previous description indicates the need for a new meta-paradigm. Until it is born we will
use the f-paradigm, which name indicates freedom, openness and thus the ability to change.
The f-paradigm is the framework in which we want to establish our four knowledge
restaurants. As the different restaurants are places for sharing different types of knowledge,
we need to introduce the four knowledge types first.
Four types of knowledge
When describing the act of knowing Polányi (1962: 55-65) realized that e.g. when hammering
a nail we are differently aware of the hammer and of the nail. What is in the focus of our act,
he called “focal awareness” in this case we have focal awareness of driving in the nail; of
everything else, such as the feeling in our palm, of the hammer, etc. in this case, we have
“subsidiary awareness”. Polányi (1966: 11) uses a metaphor from anatomy to describe the
structure of the two types of awareness:
“… we are aware of the proximal term of an act of tacit knowing in the appearance of its
distal term; we are aware of that from which we are attending to another thing, in the
appearance of that thing.”
These terms come very near to the front-of-mind and back-of-mind attention. (Davenport-
Beck, 2001) While reading, the meaning of the text is in the focus and there is a subsidiary
awareness of the letters, grammatical rules, etc. In terms of knowledge we can speak of focal
knowledge and subsidiary knowledge respectively; this is the first dimension of our
knowledge typology.
Ryle (1949), examining the nature of knowledge, asserted that not all knowledge can be
described as a set of facts and propositions. We may know how to do things, which we cannot
5. necessarily formulate as a list of propositions. The knowledge of facts and propositions Ryle
calls “knowing that” and the knowledge of how to do things “knowing how”. Anderson
(1983) arrived at the same categories of knowledge as Ryle but coined different names for
them; he speaks of declarative or descriptive knowledge, to emphasize that we store this kind
of knowledge in form that can be verbalized; and of procedural knowledge to draw attention
that this kind of knowledge manifests itself in the procedures we perform. The essence of
distinction between „know-that‟ and „know-how‟ is the falsification of the intellectualist
legend (Ryle, ibid: 22ff), according to which an act can only be considered intelligent if and
only if the person is thinking what (s)he is doing while doing it and so observes rules or
applies criteria. Borrowing an example from Ryle (ibid: 30) this would mean that:
“The chef must recite his recipes to himself before he can cook according to them.”
If you have ever seen a chef you will know that this is not the case.
If we dig deeper, we can find further knowledge categories that are still not covered. For one,
if we do know how to perform a certain operation and detect and correct the mistakes and also
to improve the process, it is not necessary that we would have also been capable of creating
this „know-how‟. So there seems to be a deeper understanding, which is necessary to create a
novum, although, we can polish an existing process without it. To adopt a similar term to
„know-that‟ and „know-how‟ this missing knowledge category could be named „know-why‟;
this is the knowledge of the problem solver. Gurteen (1998: 5) also uses the chef as an
example: if there is an ingredient missing from your cake, knowing why that ingredient was
part of the recipe might help you finding a substitution:
“In fact, know-why is often more important than know-how as it allows you to be creative – to
fall back on principles – to re-invent your know-how and to invent new know-how.”
We have originally constructed our knowledge types at this point. The first dimension was the
focal-subsidiary distinction and in the other dimension we had facts, skills, and intuition. The
subsidiary knowledge of a fact is the measurement (i.e. the rules of measuring) and the focal
part is the event. The subsidiary part of skills is the set of rules and the focal part is the act.
The subsidiary part of the intuition is the set of logical rules, the explanation – always
posterior. The focal skill correspond to „know-how‟, the focal intuition to „know-why‟, and all
types of subsidiary knowledge are „know-that‟. For a while we attempted to describe the focal
facts as „know-that‟ as well, as this knowledge type is described as facts and propositions.
This was a mistake. If we experience an event, we will know more about it than what we can
put into words. For proper distinction we must consider the phenomenology of the events and
include the qualia (see e.g. Jackson, 1982; Chalmers, 2003) into the focal facts; for distinction
we can add another knowledge type to Ryle‟s model, we call it „know-it‟. This model seemed
appropriate until we wanted to examine the knowledge of decision takers.
Examining what leaders and managers do today in relation to knowledge work we have
observed that it is also important to find where the existing knowledge can be utilized.
Drucker (2002) came to similar conclusion and recognized as important to answer the
question “What is the task?”. This is the knowledge of what is worth dealing with; it can be
added to the previous knowledge model as the knowledge of problems; or, in the terminology
of Ryle‟s model, the „know-what‟. (Table 1) The subsidiary part of the knowledge of
problems we call «depicting», meaning, that when we know what is worth dealing with we
can describe it in certain manner but this is usually not a well-structured formal description,
6. rather a vague picture not unlike a caricature. The focal part of the knowledge of problems the
«outset», i.e. the understanding of the problem as it can be seen at the start. In the case of ill-
structured problems the problem will look very differently near the end of the problem
solving but the picture which we start with is important as it affects how we approach the
problem.
Table 1: Types of knowledge
facts skills intuition problems
focal event act hunch outset
subsidiary measuring rules explanation depicting
In the following section these types of knowledge will be offered as outputs in the different
forms of knowledge sharing (actually the skills do not appear explicitly in the output but they
usually play role in producing the output). These are what we get in the knowledge
restaurants.
The knowledge restaurants
In many languages the need for knowledge is expressed by the words of thirst or hunger. This
gave us the idea to use metaphors of restaurants to the different ways of knowledge sharing.
We characterize all the four ways of knowledge sharing introduced here with the letter “f”
which refers to freedom; it will appear in the role of intermediation. The description can be
followed on Figure 1.
place:
input: news (facts) buyer: operations
news/ portal
normal paradigm
process: construction seller: construction
output: design (facts) agent: f-instructor
place:
input: design + novum buyer : construction
development
-space
process : development seller : development
output: innovation (facts) agent: f-broker
place:
input: problem (outset) buyer : development
research-
paradigmatic revolution
space
process : research seller : creative laboratory
output: novum (intuition) agent: f-guru
place:
input: gossip buyer : creative laboratory
coffee-room
process: grasping the
seller : leader/manager
essence
output: problem (outset) agent: f-coach
Figure 1: The buffet, the waiter, the chef and the coffee-room.
7. In a „buffet‟ you can choose from the food on the table. This corresponds to portals offering
pieces of knowledge of facts; here we call them news portals. This kind of knowledge sharing
usually happens between the construction and the operations (here this means the main
process of an organization), on the input side we find facts, they go through the process of
construction and output is a design (facts arranged according along a pattern to improve the
main process). The agent of this is called the f-instructor to emphasize the importance of
being free when surfing.
In an „à la cart‟ restaurant you may order from the waiter from the menu or you can choose
from the specialities of the day. On the input side we find the design from the previous level
and the novum from the next level, they go through the process of development in a
collaboration of the construction and the development, and the output is an innovation (facts
arranged in new patterns, indicating new processes and/or new products). Therefore the place
where this happens we call the development space. This type of knowledge sharing is the
source of competitive advantages in the sense of Ridderstråle and Nordström (2002), who
claimed that the source of competitive advantage is not the competition. The source of
success in competition is in being different from the others. The agent in an à la cart
restaurant is the waiter, which role here is fulfilled by the knowledge broker – again, it is an f-
broker.
These to restaurants, i.e. the knowledge sharing facilitated by the f-instructor and the f-broker
belong to the domain of normal paradigm, as it was described in the first section. Nothing
radical happens; the existing knowledge is polished further. On the contrary, the next two
levels belong to the domain of paradigmatic changes, to revolutions. The „recommended by
the chef‟ restaurant and the „coffee room‟ are the places for the radical ideas. The players here
change their glasses through which they see the world all the time.
There are very expensive restaurants where you will get specialities „recommended by the
chef‟. This involves several things: you will always have fresh food but there is no wide
choice; there is only the raw material what the chef bought today; you will also be affected by
the mood of the chef – what (s)he wants to cook today is what you can get. But somehow the
restaurant, the chef, the food, the drink, and even your mood and personality form a great
harmony and you shall enjoy your meal. This is what happens on the third level of knowledge
sharing. The input is the problem form the next level, which goes through an un-describable
creative process of research, and the output is a novum. Something, which did not exist
before; a new idea that can form the basis for a forthcoming development on the previous
level. In the restaurant only the chef can make recommendations. In the research space only
the guru, in this case the f-guru can be the agent.
It must be noted that we draw a sharp distinction between research and development. The
research we consider to be the creative process „recommended by the chef‟ producing a
novum; while the development is an innovation based on this novum and on the existing
design. A breakthrough innovation is based on a breakthrough novum (Hammer, 2004: 1):
“Breakthrough innovations in operations – not just steady improvement – can destroy
competitors and shake up industries. Such advances don‟t have to be as rare as they are.”
The fourth level of knowledge sharing happens between the decision taker, i.e. a leader or a
manager, and the creatives; it happens in the coffee room and often they are not even talking
about it. Or, at least, this is what an outsider can hear. This is a very deep sort of collaboration
8. which assigns the direction of the future research. Only an experienced coach can facilitate a
process of such complexity, and this coach must be free – (s)he is the f-coach. This type of
knowledge sharing is very important for the full picture and as an input source for the
previous stage but here it is only mentioned, not investigated.
Conclusions
The conceptual framework that was presented above originated in two of the described
restaurants: the idea was conceived in several „coffee rooms‟ and it was elaborated in a
„recommended by the chef‟-type restaurant. The research phase in now being followed by
development; it is happening in an „à la cart‟ knowledge restaurant. The four types of the
knowledge restaurant, the places for f-knowledge-sharing, and the conception of the f-
paradigm could only work out in the f-paradigm itself. As the motto concludes saying that
according to some it already happened – we argue that the f-paradigm is already here, we all
already work in f-paradigm, although not everyone have noticed this yet.
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