Roger:

It is discursive and digressive and as the Irish would say (I assume): to be sure to be sure, I'd have to tell a longish story about the truth as I see it myself.

However, in summary:

Dave Snowden is a very well informed Welshman I came across in my studies of scenarios etc some years ago because of his writings on the use of narrative while he worked in IBM (through a company merger).

He is now one of the originators of the new field of Knowledge Management. He is an expert in complexity science and its application to management practice. We are trialling his approach Cynefin framework (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cynefin) and software called SenseMaker at my department. (see http://www.sensemaker-suite.com/) -- e.g.

"It is a pre-hypothesis based research tool, a knowledge repository and a decision support system in one coherent package."

The approach emerges from a foundation in complex adaptive systems theory, cognitive sciences and narrative & anthropology. (http://www.sensemaker-suite.com/concept.htm)

He was in Perth for a day en-route Melbourne-Singapore, and I was host.

He appears both as academic and businessman. He has strong opinions on many things -- one of which is that Stafford Beer's model of the brain and the VSM are wrong -- or at least out of date. [There are strong S5 issues at work here]

He does not have a cybernetic or systems orientation although I need to be careful here. Ralph D Stacey (Complexity & Creativity in Organizations) would appear to be someone Snowden is aligned with. He did degrees in Philosophy & Physics.

Don't lose sleep over it. I find it interesting and useful to synergise both SB & DS views (and one or two others). I mentioned at Metaphoruim 2008 (last slide) that I/we were planning to trial SenseMaker as a follow-on from our scenario work. After some extended email discussions (you think these are long!) - I tortured him enough to consider it theoretically possible to use his SenseMaker approach to verify the VSM hypothesis.

To try this I now need to develop the right set of signifiers (a term he uses that is more than tagging) to show there are five interwoven systems and cultures at work (i.e. S1 thru S5). I would hope for some help from people here when the time comes (and it is coming very soon now). I have an organisation of N=1,000 approx. It is most likely to be chopped into three.

p.s. I'm not selling his approach or methods or theory -- I'm testing it (a) in practice at work; and (b) in theory here with the VSM. Whereas VSM is a 'dead duck' in respect to local management interest Snowden's approach is rapidly gaining traction. I see his SenseMaker primarily as a S3* tool -- but it also has wider application I think. I have just had two university schools (one business management/leadership and the other Sustainability policy and practice) become quite interested in his SenseMaker as a research tool.

Oh, I should add, he has a following as well! ... ;-)

If you want some samples of him speaking then try here: http://www.cognitive-edge.com/podcasts.php

--- end of discursive field notes -----

--- On Sat, 25/10/08, Roger Harnden <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

From: Roger Harnden <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Re: Wikipedia and the Meaning of Truth
To: [log in to unmask]
Received: Saturday, 25 October, 2008, 2:59 AM

Russell.

I'm missing out somewhere. What is the 'Dave Snowden' stuff??

Roger

On 24 Oct 2008, at 14:24, R Clemens wrote:

Yes, I am still writing out my 10,000 lines on the blackboard: "Discursive is bad!" ... Not sure it's going to work though ... ;-)p

What Frank wrote, I responded to. What he meant, I can only surmise. Whether it reflects Bloor, I can only take his opinion.

--- WARNING: Do Not Read Further If You Wish To Avoid Discursiveness ---

Reliable Knowledge: “Statements about truth must be viewed skeptically. Rather than state something as "true," the following phrase should be used: "On the evidence available today the balance of probability favors the view that...".” ( V. Gordon Childe, Man Makes Himself, 1936)

Religious meaning of knowledge: “The Old Testament's Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil contained the knowledge that separated Man from God: "And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil… " (Genesis 3:22)”

(Source: both in http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knowledge)

Why am I there in the Wiki? Well it’s a story for another time perhaps, but, in short, well medium-long, I’ve just spent a busy day studying a strange complex species called “Dave Snowden” at work in the field – hence arriving at “Knowledge Management” is the same Wiki-reference area to quotes above (while I read this email from Frank).

In my opinion, what Snowden is doing is 100% cybernetics (as per autopoietic definition explained to me by Luc) and his approach – including SenseMaker – is one very powerful tool to use. Watch this space!

I believe it can cover audit/feedback, boundaries (or lack of them), algedonic links (which he calls disintermediation), homeostatic balance, and inter-recursive level communications issues. In fact, where as VSM gives an x-ray view, Snowden’s complexity approach is very much a ‘Blackbox’ paradigm – and management are getting very excited about it. Ultimately it is second order cybernetics applied to governance praxis. In short, he claims to synergise quantitative and qualitative methods and data – I think effectively.

In a note to Angela I said: “There are some identity issues between SB [ Stafford ] & DS which are natural and expected (and explained in VSM and other models/frameworks). But this should be celebrated, not seen as a problem. If SB was the "most viable system" someone knew -- then I'd say DS must be one of the most ‘SB’ characters I know (without actually knowing SB -- rather by sensing from reading and Metaphorum derived insight).

If, I’m wrong then shoot me. Now back to the blackboard….

-- End of Discursiveness ---

--- On Fri, 24/10/08, Roger Harnden <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

From: Roger Harnden <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Re: Wikipedia and the Meaning of Truth
To: [log in to unmask]
Received: Friday, 24 October, 2008, 10:45 PM

Frank, take no notice of Russell - he lives down under - probably in the outback - so all he understands are 'walkabouts' (including those to the pub, if my memory is correct!).

Serious point. If you look below, I don't think Frank actually said such an absolute statement. IHe is summarising his understanding of a thesis - indeed, from the look of it (I don't know the book) quite a sensible one.

It is interesting how many of these discussions circle round (without explicitly acknowledging that they do the objectivist/relativist debates.

The thing I keep trying to say - albeit clumsily - is that I feel that insights of cybernetic thinking and analysis overcomes many of the problems that can dog so-called 'post-modernist' discourse.

Roger

PS Russell, in the light of one or two previous irritated comments, I have to say I feel we are both behaving quite well about keeping stuff terse!

On 24 Oct 2008, at 11:46, Frank wrote:

Ha ha point taken! Sloppy thinking on my part. Nonetheless Bloor makes some interesting points.

Regards

Frank Wood

----- Original Message -----

From: [log in to unmask] href="mailto:[log in to unmask]" target=_blank rel=nofollow>R Clemens

To: [log in to unmask] href="mailto:[log in to unmask]" target=_blank rel=nofollow>[log in to unmask]

Sent: Friday, October 24, 2008 11:34 AM

Subject: Re: Wikipedia and the Meaning of Truth

Re: David Bloor

The problem I have with these absolutist statements "... there is no such thing as absolute truth .. " is they are self contradictory.

I once sat through 20 minutes of indoctrination (1:1) by a supposed policy expert who's thesis was "there are no facts" -- when she'd finished I simple asked the obvious question -- "Is that a fact?" Session ended rather soon afterwards.

--- On Fri, 24/10/08, Frank <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

From: Frank <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Re: Wikipedia and the Meaning of Truth
To: [log in to unmask]
Received: Friday, 24 October, 2008, 8:58 PM

Just seen the error that Barry made so don't have to make the correction now :-)

Kenneth Patchen said in his novel The Journal of Albion Moonlight "I do not choose my truths." I disagree. I think we choose our truths in the light of our culture and the paradigm of our times.

This is the point David Bloor made in his book "Knowledge and Social Imagery". My interpretation of what he said is that there is no such thing as absolute truth and that truth is dependent on the ongoing paradigm and nothing changes until the paradigm is broken and then the paradigm breakers set up the new paradigm.

His section The Popper-Kuhn Debate is an interesting discussion on truth and the nature of facts.

This is a good overview of Bloor's stance.

http://www.iit.edu/~schmaus/Science_and_Values/notes/sociologists/social.pdf

Regards

Frank Wood

----- Original Message -----

From: [log in to unmask] href="mailto:[log in to unmask]" target=_blank rel=nofollow>BARRY A CLEMSON

To: [log in to unmask] href="mailto:[log in to unmask]" target=_blank rel=nofollow>[log in to unmask]

Sent: Thursday, October 23, 2008 6:27 PM

Subject: Re: Wikipedia and the Meaning of Truth

Stefan,

Thank you. It is no wonder I was confused, I didn't see the article by Simson L Garfinkel and I thought you were talking about Frank.

Barry

On Oct 23, 2008, at 1:01 PM, Stefan Wasilewski wrote:

Barry (and Frank)

I was addressing the article of Simson L. Garfinkel itself and not Frank at all, having read the whole thing and the result was my thoughts as below.

I believe Roger replied and I agree with him (and Frank) but to reply to your thought, we should always go into something with the idea of verifying what we read.

Garfinkel is Navy and framed by his environment and this was my thrust in your point 3. I'm old enough to remember being behind the 'Wall' for long periods and talking to those of my age that sought 'truth' but who were open enough to question what was said all along the way: This attitude stayed with me.

Of the times I've had discussion with Frank it was always clear, interesting and thought provoking, I seldom now respond to anything other.

Hope this helps

Stefan

On 23 Oct 2008, at 16:46, BARRY A CLEMSON wrote:

Stefan,

I find your comments puzzling and would like clarification.

1) It seems to me that you are saying that Frank has a grudge -- is this correct? I found his piece to be a thoughtful critique that also was quite supportive of Wikipedia.

2) You say (and I agree) it is up to each of us to verify the facts we seek. What Frank pointed out very nicely is that we might be blindsided by our unexamined assumptions. And if we are not even aware of our assumptions (which is often the case) we are quite thoroughly trapped by them and unable to check our facts.

3) i saw no hint of a suggestion to prefer "the current filtering of information and the writing of history by the winners". Rather I saw support for Wikipedia. Where did this come from?

4) Perhaps I am merely clueless but I don't see how his specific profession provides any clue to his viewpoint.

Please help me out here.

Barry

On Oct 23, 2008, at 11:01 AM, Stefan Wasilewski wrote:

I generally find that people who criticise but don't offer an alternative have a grudge and therefore to be put in one box to be balanced as others are likewise accessed.

Surely it's up to each and every one of us to verify the facts we seek and in doing so learn accordingly: Nothing should be taken on face value.

Would he prefer the current filtering of information and the writing of history by the winners to remain as our only sources?

His profession should give a clue to viewpoint.

Stefan



On 23 Oct 2008, at 13:24, Frank wrote:

Dear Listm

http://www.technologyreview.com/web/21558/?nlid=1452&a=f

Any comments?

Regards

Frank Wood
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         --- Mother Teresa ---

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--- my paraphrase of Sensei Hamada ---

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      -- Inspired by the prophet Amos 5:24--

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