I have spoken before in this blog (Beyond the Ends of the
Rainbow, June 2018) about Brian Eno's 1993 essay 'Axis Thinking' (A Year
with Swollen Appendices, Faber & Faber, 1996) and the concept of
continuums as a handy visualisation tool to assist in our comprehension of
complex entangled multi-dimensional meshes of potentiality. I'm going to
propose a continuum that we might encounter in our engagement with data as we
struggle toward ideation for betterment of our flourishing upon and with this
planet. A global eudaimonia perhaps?
I suggest a starting point (though, on a continuum,
obviously the start is almost arbitrary and is liable to shift with time and
circumstance) at 'Event'. Event is any unobserved occurrence. There are all
sorts of nonsense arguments, largely to do with word-play, along the lines that
Events only occur if they are observed. I say bollocks, quantum physics
notwithstanding. The tree still fell in the forest whether or not we were there
to witness it doing so and is now busily being converted back to a less ordered
state by innumerable insects, fungi and micro-organisms. So let's not get stuck
in a philosophical bog but leave the tree to suffer its noble fate and instead
move ourselves along. Next on our continuum comes therefore, quite logically, 'Observation'
in whatever manner as best suits the Event and the Observer; sight, sound,
touch, taste, smell and more, in isolation or combination. Observation is simple
witnessing, an engagement with our perceptual senses alone. I'm going to
temporarily overlook biological, social, intellectual and other biases and
influences upon this and subsequent steps along our continuum for now, though I
will highlight their import shortly.
Observation is then potentially, but not necessarily - as
the Observer may simply internalise their perception of the Event and move on -
followed by 'Recording' in all its many forms - textual, audio, visual and more
again, across numerous media. I am using Recording as a verb, an active process,
not a resultant product but it is still an important step to isolate for our
purposes of understanding this proposed model. The end result of the process of
Recording, the product, is 'Data' - pages of text, tables of numbers, graphs
and charts, drawings and musical notation, etc. Up to this point, a solitary
individual has engaged with or Observed the Event and the Data produced by
their Recording exists in relative isolation. In earlier times, sitting perhaps
in a hand written notebook (though it could of course take numerous forms), it
might never go further and could remain dormant for eternity or be destroyed by
fire or other means of neglect and eventual destruction. I will now briefly
highlight, as promised, that of course every step after the initial Event is of
necessity imbued with the inevitability of biological, social, intellectual and
other biases and influences. How we Observe Events, Record Data, and more, is a
factor of who we are, how we were raised, the culture and environment within
which and alongside whom we live, etc. Every person is unique, and therefore uniquely
experiences and 'understands' their world. This very uniqueness is vital to the
proposition of Betterment. Also, for our proposed model of the continuum
existing as just one slim strand of possibility, these biological, social,
intellectual etc. variabilities exist on their own intersecting continuums and are
precisely what contributes to the complex, entangled multi-dimensional mesh of
potential being explored.
The Data - the content of the 'notebook' needs further
intervention through reading, or even publication, to progress to the next
level on our continuum - 'Information', wherein the Data can be accessed by
other persons. Data can only be Information if someone is Informed - they are
not synonymous. Information is consumed by the recipient, but not at this point
actually assimilated into their active memory. This is, if you like, a surface
engagement only. Until relatively recently, broad circulation of Data to enable
it becoming Information was time consuming, expensive and frequently thwarted
by the vagaries of the publishing world, or the socio-economic status, literacy
etc. of its potential audience. Data can of course also be progressed to
Information via word of mouth, but we all know the dangers of verbal chains of
Information dissemination as highlighted by such as the Telephone Game. Though
just maybe we should see such possibility of distortion as simply another
intersecting continuum in our mesh?
The internet changed this situation. Suddenly one person
among millions, from many walks of life across manifold geographical locations
and raised within numerous cultures, could place their Data on a multiplicity
of subjects into a location accessible by all the others with access to the
resource, enabling relatively cheap and easy creation of an almost horizonless
sea of Information. This was the Information Revolution. It was proposed it
would, inevitably, change our world - for the Better.
But. You heard that coming I think? But, Information is
still just consumed Data. It has a few more steps to take along our continuum
before it starts to make improvements. Information is no more than that which
we rapidly access with a simple Google search to answer a crossword clue or
settle an argument at the pub. For Information to progress further it first of
all needs, as implied earlier, to become assimilated into active memory - able
to be utilised at will in future. This is 'Knowledge'. I want to make a
qualitative distinction at this point to hopefully clarify a possible confusion
in our use of language. I am using here a 'high-value' understanding of the
word Knowledge which is different from the oft encountered conversational phrases
'I know!' or 'I just want to know!' For the purpose of this post I judge these
latter two phrases to be examples of no more than a social, surface engagement
with Information that could perhaps be termed idle chat or even gossip, that is
not necessarily likely to further progress along our continuum. Since I used earlier
the gustatory metaphor of Information being consumed, perhaps I can here
suggest this 'low-value' use of 'know' to be a form of chewing the cud wherein
it is worked over and over but produces principally excrement and very little of
nutritional benefit?
Our (high-value) Knowledge can now exist in remove from the
Information source and, most importantly, it can be mentally mixed with other
acquired Knowledge in new and unique combinations, either in a single person's
mind or through discussion with other persons. This is our next step, 'Ideation'.
This is a word not frequently encountered for an activity perpetually engaged
upon. It is the source of creativity and a vital component of the design
process. We all potentially Ideate many times on an average day as a critical
part of otherwise routine tasks - selecting an unusual combination of garments
to wear when our usual preferences are in the wash, concocting a dish or menu
from a random assortment of ingredients left in the refrigerator and pantry,
improvising a fix for a broken item with the tools and materials we have to
hand rather than trek to the hardware store. Creativity is not the special
reserve of a social elite of artists, designers, authors, scientists, mathematicians, composers and the
like who are inaccurately said to be 'gifted' with 'genius' but a skill we all possess
and all have the capability to improve through learning, practice and
application. Creativity - Ideation - is critical to avoid stagnation in all its
forms and one of our most vital tools. We would all do well to explore to a
much greater extent our boundless capacity to creatively and productively Ideate.
Now is perhaps a good opportunity to point out that our
continuum is not of necessity restricted to a single direction of flow. Newly
arranged and combined Knowledge - Ideas - holding the potential for further
progression, can instead become new Knowledge, shared Information or recorded
Data and so on. However another and more desirable outcome of Ideas may be their
application to addressing an issue. Futhermore, if the issue being addressed is
the resolution of a dilemma - be it physical, mental, emotional, ethical or
what-have-you - with a successful outcome, then it may be deemed to have progressed
along our continuum and become 'Wisdom'. Wisdom is the quality to which we all
perhaps aspire? It is frequently portrayed as being the reserve of Wise old
sages and beyond the reach of the common people as they negotiate their routine
daily tasks, but I hope I have shown this to be a fallacy as it is nothing more
than two simple steps further after Knowledge, which we all uniquely hold. Some
of our Knowledge might of course be considered to be what we term common
Knowledge, but the greater part of our individual quotient is indeed truly
unique and therefore uniquely powerful in its potential for Ideation and
Wisdom.
Some Wisdom when shared is simply an evening-out of
distribution of benefits - bringing one or more persons to a point of
understanding or quality of life that is already broadly accepted, embraced and
enjoyed by an alternative majority (or, sadly, perhaps a privileged minority).
But other Wisdom is newly minted and deliberately, or through fortuitous
circumstance, produces the possibility of yet a further advance on our
continuum and produces 'Betterment'.
Betterment (the word) is no more than my choice of term for
what has perhaps been known for countless generations among those of
philosophical bent as Eudaimonia. The 'flourishing' promoted as the highest
good - the ultimate aim of practical philosophy - by such as Aristotle,
Epicurus and others before and since. However, whilst Epicureanism sought to
promote flourishing for its immediate communities, I propose Betterment as a seeking
and working toward much broader, greater, perhaps global and even potentially
universal application. It is, I feel,
also somewhat akin to the Dynamic Quality proposed in the frankly extraordinary
(though seemingly little known or regarded?) book Lila: An Enquiry into
Morals by Robert M. Pirsig (Bantam Press, 1991). Lila is the sequel,
written under a grant from the Guggenheim Foundation, to his earlier and highly
acclaimed Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry into Values
(William Morrow & Co., 1974).
Importantly, if indeed Betterment equates to or approaches
Pirsig's concept of Dynamic Quality, it means that not only can it produce Better,
but it actually IS Better. It possesses the unassailable value of Better.
Better, however, not simply for humanity (for that in isolation is surely not
inherently Better) but Better for all existence. A Betterment that recognises
and creates the possibility and eventual realisation of true unity of
understanding and existence. And this is precisely why I have chosen, for an
English speaking audience only admittedly, this particular word. For me at
least, it has semantically less baggage or connotation to falsely weigh it
down. Prosperity, happiness, blessedness and welfare all carry connotations
that can suggest evanescent financial, emotional, religious or charitable gains
but which are not of themselves wholly and universally Better. This is not
'self-satisfaction'. This is most certainly not 'progress'. This is an
altogether 'higher' form of advancement. It perhaps cannot be fully contained
by a simple word in any language?
But what I hope I have proposed with clarity and conviction,
is that this possibility of contribution toward Betterment is available to us
all. It is little more than another step along our continuum from Wisdom as
outlined in all I've proposed above and which perhaps would here benefit from a
simple linear representation: (Though shown of course in isolation from the
truly wonderful and complex mesh of which it forms a single, though vital,
strand of potential as it wends its way through engagement with different
races, cultures, beliefs, understandings and more.)
Event - Observation - Recording - Data - Information -
Knowledge - Ideation - Wisdom - Betterment
Finally we reached the Betterment that I mentioned was
proposed to be the inevitable outcome of the Information Revolution as it
changed our world almost beyond recognition. But as I've suggested, there are a
few very important steps between and I don't believe we can jump over them so
lightly. Hopscotch this is not. To truly attain Betterment I think we first
need to engender and navigate the Knowledge Revolution, the Ideation Revolution
and the Wisdom Revolution. Strong evidence for any of which I have not as yet
broadly witnessed in recent global affairs. There are occasional faint glimmers
of hope and opportunity but we perhaps unfortunately largely see possibility
for true change at a falsely perceived remove from our own potential. Until we
all, humanity at large, embrace the true possibility of advancing, individually
and collectively, the extra few steps along our continuum toward Betterment, I
fear perhaps we may doom ourselves to forever oscillate at a lower range on our
continuum of potential, if not perhaps to reduce our 'forever' to an unnecessarily
short count of our planetary years?
Betterment is possible and perhaps now we have the small beginnings
of a map to follow toward it? Are you prepared to add your unique contribution
to a potentially global investment in its attainment?
December 2020
