The Influence of the Electronic Hypertext on Scientific Knowledge and Communications

The Influence of the electronic hypertext on scientific knowledge and communications

by

Vasiliy gritsenko

abstract

There are two basic coexisted paradigms in the world outlook and methodology of the science of the last quarter of the XX and the beginning of the XXI centuries. The first is denying and creative continuation of the scientific rationalism of the XVII-XIX centuries. As it has arisen during New time it is often called the science and methodology in a modernist style.

Another paradigm is called postmodernism. The main feature of this episteme is an exclusive attention to movement, acceleration, uncertainty, transitivity. From methodological point of view, the postmodernism was brightly embodied in principles of deconstruction, poststructuralism and rhizome.

No synthesis of modernist style and postmodern occurred in methodology. Apparently, it is possible to name those new methodological principles and approaches which have developed in modern scientific knowledge - interdisciplanary, synergetics, vertuality, evolutionary epistemology and some others.

The hypertext becomes the form of the organization of knowledge, cogitative activity and the scientific theory, according to the modern computer metaphor. It is correlative to the condition of the society and culture which aspire to multiplication, instead of levelling of discourses, as forms of rationalization of individual desires. The modern fiction, cinema, TV successfully maintain it on the mass consumer. The hypertext is capable to combine in itself principles of linearly-discoursive organizations of knowledge and nonlinearly-rhizomatic.

The hypertext is effective means for dialogue in training, knowledge, and also for «dialogue» in the widest sense of a word - for «dialogue of cultures».

Modern scientific search is characterized by intensive theoretical and methodological congestion. That is the essential difference between nonclassical science and classical one. We shall consider the basic methodological positions of a science during an epoch of intensive information, meaning first of all the humanities.

Two basic paradigms: modern versus postmodern

There are two basic coexisted paradigms in the world outlook and methodology of the science of the last quarter of the XX and the beginning of the XXI centuries. The first is denying and creative continuation of the scientific rationalism of the XVII-XIX centuries. As it has arisen during New time it is often called the science and methodology in modernist style (J.Habermas). It is characterized by monism, interrelation of the theory, mathematical calculation and experimentation, use of artificial languages. This methodology has found the most distinct display in system (structurally functional) and evolutionary approaches.

This paradigm starts with confidence in existence of steady structures of the nature and social life, and conviction in an opportunity of objective, absolute knowledge, and installation that as a whole the order dominates over the chaos.

Another paradigm is called postmodernism (poststructuralism, deconstruction, the hypermodernism, etc. terms are used in this case as synonyms). The main feature of this episteme is an exclusive attention to movement, acceleration, uncertainty, transitivity. From methodological point of view, the most brightly the postmodernism was embodied in principles of deconstruction, poststructuralism, rhizome. In the beginning it was brightly showed in philosophical-and-cultural direction which had been developed on the basis of works of the French philosophers, such as, J.Delyoz, J.Liotar, J.Bodrijar, J.Derrida etc. In this case the postmodernism was characterized as poststructuralism.

No synthesis of a modernist style and postmodern occurred in methodology. Apparently, it is possible to name those new methodological principles and approaches which have developed in modern scientific knowledge - interdisciplinary, synergetics, virtuality, evolutionary epistemology and some others.

Information and the person-computer thinking

In many respects postmodernism itself is the product of the methodological reflection in conditions of intensive development of information-computer technologies and the person-computer thinking.

The person-computer thinking which has become a reality itself creates not only a new type of a gnosiological situation, but also a new type of the individual. “Thinking of a pen”, “typewriters” and a computer are different types of thinking, with their merits and demerits. This is another reflexive and also reflective work.

Technologies and discourses of postmodern have changed the way of thinking of the person. The usage of electronic means of mass communication and hypertext technologies puts the end to such type of the culture which can be described by prevalence linear text metanarrativ, and named in this connection “Guttenberg galaxy”. The last decade which has generated a global Network, has brought essential corrective amendments which, in turn, demand special consideration of this process. It is a question of occurrence essentially new form of the organization of text space in the virtual environment of the global network where the one-dimensional text is changed by the multivariate electronic hypertext.

The hypertext in its computer form includes an opportunity of instant transition from one volume of the information to another in all points supplied by references. The text can not be more thought as linearly built, having the certain orientation, structure and borders. It ceases to correspond to the principles imposed by Gutenberg’s machine tool and world outlook of the Modernist style and becomes an embodiment of postmodernist attitude.

The hypertext as the modern semiotics mutation and gnosiological form

The text and its various forms have essential gnosiological value. The printed text as an embodiment of linear discourse, was the basis for occurrence the image of the scientific theory in its classical understanding. Logic requirements of consistency, independence, completeness follow from principles of the organization of linear discourse. Gnosiological representation about the theory as about the system, all-round description of complex objects directly leans on the sign form of a printed word.

Modern version of the text is intertext. The base components of intertext are loans, citations, imitations and reminiscences to other texts. Owing to citations the text is modified in reflective formation - the text in the text.

The hypertext is understood as the complex, nonlinear form of the text space organization.

In the hypertext the organization of text material is so constructed that its phrases, paragraphs, sections are located not in linear sequence, but in the form of possible transitions between them. Using these communications, it is possible to read the text material in any order, forming set of linear texts. In case of an extensive material with a lot of communications there is a semantic network in the form of complex hypertext space. High-grade formation and viewing of such network of the text units are possible only by means of the computer.

Let's formulate the basic gnosiological conclusion following from an image of the hypertext and hypertext technologies.

The hypertext becomes the form of the organization of knowledge, cogitative activity and the scientific theory, according to the modern computer metaphor. It is correlative to the condition of the society and culture which aspire to multiplication, instead of levelling of discourses, as forms of rationalization of individual desires. The modern fiction, cinema, TV successfully maintain it on the mass consumer. The hypertext is capable to combine in itself principles as linearly-discoursive organizations of knowledge, and nonlinearly-rhizomatic. Probably soon scientific dissertations will be represented and defended in computer-hypertext kind.

The hypertext, owing to the complexity and multidimensionality, generates an image not of separate subject of Universum but a complete picture of the world.

Owing to "dimensions" and multidimensionality the hypertext is better compatible to such modern methodological trend as the interdisciplinary approach.

The hypertext in the form of hypermedia is capable to maintain equally left and right hemisphere thinking, combining incompatible (from the point of view of classical gnosiology).

At last, being supplemented with a virtual reality, the hypertext transforms semantics of the possible worlds into norm of logic thinking.

In due time the usage of the typographical-duplicated form of the text by new European society has led to a semiotics mutation: ways of mental and material coding and the organization of knowledge, reflex bases of thinking, ways and forms of understanding have changed. Descartes's analytical method and a classical science is an essence product of the printed form of the text.

The hypertext also is the semiotics mutation resulted from the usage of computer technologies. For a new generation of the scientists who have been brought up on the hypertext systems, modern forms of the scientific theory and the scientific thinking based on linear discourse will seem to be extremely primitive and archaic.

Another essential feature of the hypertext is maintenance of dialogue by it. The hypertext is effective means for dialogue in training, knowledge, and also for “dialogue” in the widest sense of the word - for “dialogue of cultures”.

***

The listed approaches do not settle all the variety of theoretical and methodological reference points of the modern science. Originality and interdisciplinary alliance of various disciplines are embodied in them.

Vasiliy P. Gritsenko,

The Doctor of Philosophy , Professor

The Chief of the Philosophical Department

The KrasnodarStateUniversity Culture and Arts

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