Epistemocracy is a term that refers to a system of governance where decision-making authority is granted based on knowledge or expertise rather than traditional democratic principles, such as popular vote or equal representation. In an epistemocracy, those with higher levels of education, expertise, or knowledge in relevant fields may have greater influence in political decision-making processes.
The "epistemology of Wikipedia" refers to the study and analysis of knowledge creation, validation, and dissemination on the platform known as Wikipedia. Epistemology, in general, is the branch of philosophy concerned with the nature, origin, and limits of knowledge.
Factual relativism is a philosophical concept that suggests that the truth or falsity of certain factual claims can vary depending on different perspectives, contexts, or frameworks. This means that what is considered true in one context may not be seen as true in another. This idea is distinct from moral or ethical relativism, which deals with the variability of moral judgments.
The "fusion of horizons" is a concept primarily associated with Hans-Georg Gadamer, a German philosopher known for his work in hermeneutics, the study of interpretation and understanding. The term describes the process by which different perspectives or "horizons" of understanding come together to create a new, shared understanding. In this context, a "horizon" refers to the set of beliefs, preconceptions, and experiences that shape an individual's understanding of the world.
Genetic epistemology is a theory of knowledge developed by the Swiss psychologist and philosopher Jean Piaget. It focuses on how individuals construct knowledge and understanding through their interactions with the world, emphasizing the developmental processes that lead to epistemic growth. The term "genetic" in this context refers to the origins and development of knowledge, rather than genetics in the biological sense. Piaget proposed that knowledge is not simply acquired or transmitted; rather, it is actively constructed by individuals as they engage with their environment.
Knowledge falsification refers to the deliberate misrepresentation or distortion of information, facts, or data. This can occur in various contexts, including scientific research, academia, politics, journalism, and more. The act can be motivated by various factors, such as personal gain, ideological beliefs, pressure to perform, or the desire to manipulate public perception.
Perspectivism is a philosophical viewpoint that asserts that knowledge and truth are always contingent upon the perspectives of individuals or groups. This idea suggests that there is no single, objective standpoint from which to view reality; instead, our understanding is shaped by our various experiences, backgrounds, cultures, and contexts. Prominently associated with the philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche, perspectivism challenges the notion of absolute truths and instead posits that what we perceive as truth is influenced by our subjective viewpoints.
Social Epistemology is a scholarly journal that focuses on the study of knowledge in a social context. It explores how social processes, institutions, and practices impact the generation, dissemination, and justification of knowledge. The journal often investigates topics such as trust in epistemic communities, the role of social networks in knowledge sharing, the implications of digital communication for epistemic practices, and the relationship between social factors and epistemic reliability.
Social constructionism is a theoretical perspective in sociology and other social sciences that posits that our understanding of reality is constructed through social processes, interactions, and cultural practices. It emphasizes that many aspects of our social world, including knowledge, beliefs, norms, identities, and institutions, are not inherent or natural but rather created and maintained through social consensus and interaction. Key ideas in social constructionism include: 1. **Reality is Constructed**: Individuals and groups create meaning through social interactions.
The International Network for Social Network Analysis (INSNA) is an academic organization that focuses on the study of social networks. It provides a platform for researchers and practitioners in the field of social network analysis (SNA), which involves the examination of social structures through the use of networks and graph theory. Founded in the mid-1980s, INSNA promotes research and education in social network analysis and offers resources such as conferences, publications, and a professional community for those interested in SNA.
The Krackhardt E/I ratio is a measure used in social network analysis to assess the density of a network, specifically focusing on the relationship between the number of existing edges (connections) and the number of possible edges among nodes (actors). The ratio is named after David Krackhardt, who contributed significantly to the study of social networks.
Technological determinism is a theory that suggests that technology is the principal driving force behind societal development and change. It posits that advancements in technology shape social structures, cultural norms, and human behavior, often in ways that are seen as inevitable or predetermined. In other words, the development and adoption of technology are thought to influence the trajectory of society and human life more than any other factors, such as politics, economics, or culture.
"We Have Never Been Modern" is a philosophical work written by the French sociologist and anthropologist Bruno Latour, published in 1991. In this book, Latour explores the concepts of modernity and the distinctions between nature and society, arguing that the traditional notions of modernity are fundamentally flawed. He critiques the Enlightenment's assumptions about the separation of the natural and social worlds, suggesting that modernity has never been a true separation of these realms.
The Watts–Strogatz model is a mathematical model used to generate small-world networks, which are characterized by high clustering and short average path lengths. Introduced by Duncan J. Watts and Steven H. Strogatz in their 1998 paper, "Collective dynamics of ‘small-world’ networks," this model captures the balance between local interconnectedness (like regular lattices) and global interconnectedness (like random networks).
Lists of countries by per capita values typically refer to rankings of countries based on various metrics adjusted for their population size. The most common per capita measures include: 1. **Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita**: This measures the total economic output of a country divided by its population, indicating the average economic productivity per person.
Official statistics refer to the data collected, compiled, processed, and disseminated by governmental agencies or official bodies to provide a reliable basis for understanding social, economic, and environmental conditions within a country or region. These statistics are intended to inform public policy, support research, and assist in the formulation of decisions by governments, businesses, and other organizations. Key characteristics of official statistics include: 1. **Authority**: Generated by recognized governmental agencies or institutions, ensuring credibility and standardization.
Social statistics indicators are quantitative measures that provide insight into various aspects of society, helping researchers, policymakers, and organizations assess social conditions, changes, and trends. These indicators can cover a wide range of dimensions related to human behavior, well-being, and social structures. Here are some key areas often evaluated through social statistics indicators: 1. **Demographics**: Indicators such as population size, age distribution, gender ratios, and migration patterns that help understand the composition and dynamics of a population.
Sports records and statistics refer to numerical data and achievements related to sports and athletic competitions. This encompasses a wide range of information, often used to analyze performance, track progress, and compare athletes, teams, or events over time. Here's a breakdown of key components: ### 1. **Records:** - **Official Records:** These are best performances or achievements that are formally recognized, such as world records in track and field, swimming, and other sports.
In the context of social sciences, "coding" refers to the process of organizing and categorizing qualitative data, often obtained from interviews, open-ended survey responses, field notes, or other forms of unstructured data. The purpose of coding is to make the data manageable and analyzable, allowing researchers to identify patterns, themes, or concepts critical to their study.
Pinned article: ourbigbook/introduction-to-the-ourbigbook-project
Welcome to the OurBigBook Project! Our goal is to create the perfect publishing platform for STEM subjects, and get university-level students to write the best free STEM tutorials ever.
Everyone is welcome to create an account and play with the site: ourbigbook.com/go/register. We belive that students themselves can write amazing tutorials, but teachers are welcome too. You can write about anything you want, it doesn't have to be STEM or even educational. Silly test content is very welcome and you won't be penalized in any way. Just keep it legal!
Intro to OurBigBook
. Source. We have two killer features:
- topics: topics group articles by different users with the same title, e.g. here is the topic for the "Fundamental Theorem of Calculus" ourbigbook.com/go/topic/fundamental-theorem-of-calculusArticles of different users are sorted by upvote within each article page. This feature is a bit like:
- a Wikipedia where each user can have their own version of each article
- a Q&A website like Stack Overflow, where multiple people can give their views on a given topic, and the best ones are sorted by upvote. Except you don't need to wait for someone to ask first, and any topic goes, no matter how narrow or broad
This feature makes it possible for readers to find better explanations of any topic created by other writers. And it allows writers to create an explanation in a place that readers might actually find it.Figure 1. Screenshot of the "Derivative" topic page. View it live at: ourbigbook.com/go/topic/derivativeVideo 2. OurBigBook Web topics demo. Source. - local editing: you can store all your personal knowledge base content locally in a plaintext markup format that can be edited locally and published either:This way you can be sure that even if OurBigBook.com were to go down one day (which we have no plans to do as it is quite cheap to host!), your content will still be perfectly readable as a static site.
- to OurBigBook.com to get awesome multi-user features like topics and likes
- as HTML files to a static website, which you can host yourself for free on many external providers like GitHub Pages, and remain in full control
Figure 2. You can publish local OurBigBook lightweight markup files to either OurBigBook.com or as a static website.Figure 3. Visual Studio Code extension installation.Figure 5. . You can also edit articles on the Web editor without installing anything locally. Video 3. Edit locally and publish demo. Source. This shows editing OurBigBook Markup and publishing it using the Visual Studio Code extension. - Infinitely deep tables of contents:
All our software is open source and hosted at: github.com/ourbigbook/ourbigbook
Further documentation can be found at: docs.ourbigbook.com
Feel free to reach our to us for any help or suggestions: docs.ourbigbook.com/#contact