Dear Sam,

>The sad question for me is why in the name of all that is important
>do we waste our time listening to privileged people telling us what
>we know (the little "r" truths) when there is so much to be done now.
>What is to be done now does require, as Mao noted, breaking a
>few eggs in the process. Never have the privileged really supported
>such action.

Perhaps we SHOULD listen when they say something that we know but do
not articulate. Is a point invalidated by the identity of the person
who makes it?

The words that are debated are "information", "knowledge", "wisdom" -
I just did a google search and got 75,900 hits for "information,
knowledge, wisdom, ICT" which cut to 46,300 when I searched that
result with "understanding". A very cursory investigation suggests
that "understanding" appears in a context where it is considered as a
process to be applied to "information", "knowledge", "wisdom" rather than a
desirable thing in itself. The following is an example:

<http://otec.uoregon.edu/data-wisdom.htm>
Arranging the Terms Along a scale

The table shows arrows captioned "moving towards increased
"understanding" but then the article returns to the terms Data,
Information, Knowledge, and Wisdom.

"However, in no sense do these four terms define some sort of linear
equal-interval scale. They do, however, help us to discuss the design
of an educational system as well as current and potential uses of
computers. For example, we all accept that computers can be used
for the input, storage, processing, and output of data. But, there is
considerable disagreement about whether a computer can have knowledge
or be knowledgeable--or have wisdom and be wise."

I agree with Daniel et alia about the importance of process :-), but
process needs something to proceed towards, and understanding is
capable of being both a verb and a noun.

>Sam Lanfranco
>Lamenting away in Canada's farm county

Deirdre (perhaps it is not quite cricket to say that I am listening
in St Lucia?)

PS I was captivated to discover that the automatic translator used
"arrangement" in French for "understanding". Perhaps the deus ex
machina is telling us that if we can just get into the right language
there will be plans that become actions :-) :-)
Nearby Mon Jul 25 18:28:28 2005