[Sigia-l] Clay Shirky on Semantic Web

[Derek R]

..|  The Semantic Web, Syllogism, and Worldview
..|  http://shirky.com/writings/semantic_syllogism.html

<quote>
The systems that have succeeded at scale have made simple implementation
the core virtue... The most widely adopted digital descriptor in
history, the URL, regards semantics as a side conversation between
consenting adults, and makes no requirements in this regard whatsoever:
sports.yahoo.com/nfl/ is a valid URL, but so is 12.0.0.1/ftrjjk.ppq. The
fact that a URL itself doesn't have to mean anything is essential -- the
Web succeeded in part because it does not try to make any assertions
about the meaning of the documents it contained, only about their
location.
</quote>

This has all been said before and is a reality 'polar bear' IAs,
'findability'-lovers, and those who lust after categories and the
more-and-more-abstract vision continue to choose not to face.
Abstraction is *negative attention* (by its very definition). These
people should not be surprised things do not work so neatly outside
their colorful deliverables. 

Many it seems today have lost sight of the original goal of architecture
which is to make a space magnanimous and (by consequence) the people who
occupy it. Instead most IAs are overwhelmed by the 'master plan' brand
of fascism.

Information Architects would be wise to admit with Clay that yes,
ontologies et al logic are a nice and tidy vision. But, as I have said
before (and all u really need to know): The first rule of general
semantics is that all conceptions are EQUALLY arbitrary since they are
only conceptual. A=A=A. This is wisdom.

There truly is 'a side conversation between consenting adults' (social)
which, in real-time, performs ongoing accomplishment (ethnomethodology)
-- meaning that reality 'makes no requirements' *a priori* for anything
which exists (ie. there is no master 'blueprint,' 'category,'
'scent-trial' which, pre-arranged, leads all to glory, sorry Hitler
fans).


Derek Rogerson
http://derekrogerson.com/	 

"When I use a word," Humpty Dumpty said,."it means just what I choose it
to mean -- neither more nor less."