The Dynamics of Exchanges and References among Scientific Texts, and the Autopoiesis of Discursive Knowledge; preprint version

[Loet Leydesdorff]

Dear David, 
 
The natural world enter the system in terms of knowledge claims in new
manuscripts, i.e., as variation. The submissions can contain observational
statements. At this end, the system can be swarming, indeed. The dynamics,
however, are determined by the selection mechanisms and not by the
variation. Upon validation, the variation is incorporated in the structure
at a next moment in time.
 
Best wishes, 
 
 
Loet
 
  _____  

Loet Leydesdorff 
Amsterdam School of Communications Research (ASCoR), 
Kloveniersburgwal 48, 1012 CX Amsterdam. 
Tel.: +31-20- 525 6598; fax: +31-20- 525 3681 
 <mailto:loet at leydesdorff.net> loet at leydesdorff.net ;
<http://www.leydesdorff.net/> http://www.leydesdorff.net/ 

 


  _____  

From: ASIS&T Special Interest Group on Metrics
[mailto:SIGMETRICS at LISTSERV.UTK.EDU] On Behalf Of David E. Wojick
Sent: Sunday, February 22, 2009 7:18 PM
To: SIGMETRICS at LISTSERV.UTK.EDU
Subject: Re: [SIGMETRICS] The Dynamics of Exchanges and References among
Scientific Texts, and the Autopoiesis of Discursive Knowledge; preprint
version


Dear Loet,

Where does the natural world that science studies fit into this system? New
specialties develop because of the way the world is, not because science
wants them. That is, new discoveries lead to new lines of inquiry that
attract new communities. Where these discoveries occur and what the new
trajectories are is not up to the scientists, rather it is in a sense up to
nature. This is why the dynamics are unpredictable; we really do not know
where we are going. Reality is thus the control mechanism, the ultimate
feedback loop.

This suggests that the best model for scientific dynamics might be swarming
(in pursuit of understanding), not self organization. But I freely admit I
am not familiar with the community of thought you are drawing upon in this
essay, except for a few of your prior writings. So I may simply have
misunderstood.

My best regards,

David Wojick


The Dynamics  <http://www.leydesdorff.net/autopoiesis/index.htm> of
Exchanges and References among Scientific Texts,

and the  <http://www.leydesdorff.net/autopoiesis/index.htm> Autopoiesis of
Discursive Knowledge

 <http://www.leydesdorff.net/autopoiesis/autopoiesis.pdf> <click here for
pdf>

Abstract

Discursive knowledge emerges as codification in flows of communication. The
flows of communication are constrained and enabled by networks of
communications as their historical manifestations at each moment of time.
New publications modify the existing networks by changing the distributions
of attributes and relations in document sets, while the networks are
self-referentially updated along trajectories. Codification operates
reflexively: the network structures are reconstructed from the perspective
of hindsight. Codification along different axes differentiates discursive
knowledge into specialties. These intellectual control structures are
constructed bottom-up, but feed top-down back upon the production of new
knowledge. However, the forward dynamics of diffusion in the development of
the communication networks along trajectories differs from the feedback
mechanisms of control. Analysis of the development of scientific
communication in terms of evolving scientific literatures provides us with a
model which makes these evolutionary processes amenable to measurement.

Diana Lucio Arias & Loet Leydesdorff

Amsterdam School of Communications Research (ASCoR)
Kloveniersburgwal 48, 1012 CX Amsterdam, The Netherlands
 
** apologies for cross-postings
 

 

-- 

"David E. Wojick, Ph.D., PE" <WojickD at osti.gov>
Senior Consultant for Innovation
Office of Scientific and Technical Information
US Department of Energy
http://www.osti.gov/innovation/
391 Flickertail Lane, Star Tannery, VA 22654 USA

http://www.bydesign.com/powervision/resume.html provides my bio and past
client list. 
http://www.bydesign.com/powervision/Mathematics_Philosophy_Science/ presents
some of my own research on information structure and dynamics. 

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