[MD] Collective knowledge and its social versus intellectual sources

[David M]

Hi Horse

Useful suggestion. When our collective knowledge
(whether seen as divine in origin, ancestral or mythic in
origin) is put under questioning and suspicion then we
have a more deliberate and intellectual approach to
knowledge.

David M


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Horse" <horse at darkstar.uk.net>
To: <moq_discuss at moqtalk.org>
Sent: Saturday, May 12, 2007 5:55 PM
Subject: Re: [MD] (MD] Collective intelligence


> Hi Folks
> 
> Before we get into another pointless political debate about the 
> wonderfulness of the magnificent individual versus the marvelous 
> collective could we try and think about this maybe from a slightly 
> better perspective - i.e. mine! :)
> 
> The term 'collective intelligence', IMO, is probably a misnomer in terms 
> of the MoQ as it, incorrectly, appears to conjoin social and 
> intellectual patterns.
> It may be better to think of it as 'collective knowledge' which can then 
> be placed at the social level as patterns that accumulate and persist 
> over time within a social context.
> All learned behaviours and other forms of knowledge that persist from 
> one generation to the next but are not transmitted by biological means 
> can now be neatly placed in this holder. Anything from how to crack an 
> oyster open to the mangled grunts that constitute primitive language can 
> be included, as can more complex language and whatever other social 
> patterns you choose to include. When this 'collective knowledge' becomes 
> sufficiently ordered and complex emergent patterns will start to appear 
> - for an example think in terms of how a city develops and persists over 
> many decades and even centuries.
> Awareness and contemplation of these patterns gradually gives rise to 
> ordering and restructuring which leads to intellectual activity and the 
> emergence of the intellectual level. So just as the biological patterns 
> of life are available to the social level, so the developing social 
> patterns of collective knowledge are available to the intellectual level.
> 
> Any thoughts?
> 
> 
> Horse
> 
> 
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