Reading 13---WANG HANPING

  1. Summary:

In many conflicts misunderstandings are as common, if not more so, than genuine differences. There are elements to this in the arguments about Wikipedia, particularly over the way it is produced. Describing how knowledge is constituted can be difficult, but one can identify three ways for how we might think of knowledge production throughout history.  First, we must admit that the hermit’s encyclopedia, devoid of all contact with the words of others, would be of little use. Even the monastic scribe copying parchment, and introducing some changes no doubt, is engaged in some degree of sociality. Some have described this interaction at a distance, in time or geography, as a type of stigmergy, like a wasp building upon the work of others.  Second, the production of a reference work eventually exceeded the capability of any one person. What might be thought of as corporate production includes the interaction of financiers and subscribers, and of contributors and editors working within some, even if loose, form of social organization. 

2. Interesting point:

A hermit's encyclopedia would be useless without interaction with other people or textual contact. It's as if everyone only expresses their opinions without integrating them with collective thinking, and the content will become disorganized.

3. Discussion point:

How we conceive of our humanity and its implications in our collective endeavor？