Aggregation and Desaggregation of Information as an Adaptive Task

Abstract:     
Purpose - The paper aims at supporting innovation into Philosophy of Science approach on the humankind long-term task of aggregation and desaggregation of information. This is a systemic task, involving human ideas and ITC by boosting synergy, non-entropy, and ephemeral efficiency properties at multiple echelons. The paper is dedicated to a deeper understanding on the Information Fusion – as part of a dual universal task; into this context the paper proposes a Philosophy of Science approach on Dempster Sheffer Theory (DST), Dezert-Smarandache Theory (DSmT), Interactive Modeling (IM), Structural-Phenomenological Modeling (S-PM).

Basic sub-goals: a) Shrinking the gap between the humanist perspective and the technologist one. b) Promoting an equilibrated anthropocentric & technocentric perspective by starting with stimuli from the real world expressed by (old and new) ideas regarding the (re)construction of a World/e-World balance. c) Illustrating a positive e-World response by sketching innovative, synergy-based, interactive models, considering metaphors linked to those ideas.

Design/methodology/approach - A general framework is suggested and an instance model is presented, that of Interactive Modeling approach. To maximize synergy, to minimize entropy, and to prolong the ephemeral efficiency - all their sources are considered. The approach is based on real-world "stimulus-ideas" (here, the shift from algorithmic towards sub-symbolic reasoning) and "metaphor-prompted e-world (IT-)responses".

Findings - A) Regarding the framework: a) Based on semantic transfer, metaphors are an encouraging path to get closer humanists and technologists, i.e., real world and e-world. b) Corollary: heavily metaphor-based research domains – as artificial life and intelligence – are valuable interdisciplinary "[John von Neumann & Nicholas Georgescu Roegen & John K. Galbraith, and Mihailo Mesarovic & Herbert Simon]’s niches". c) Even if the approach proposed does not ensure, transdisciplinarity, it provides a workable framework and pays tribute to "systems thinking". B) Regarding the model: the 2005 research stage of DSmT is described in (Smarandache, and Dezert, 2005); while this paper type of approach in (Bulz, 2005) – but, here, co-referring DST, DSmT, IM, S-PM.

Research limitations/implications - Since no undertaking – particularly when it involves a rather general framework – can be commented upon in an apodictic manner after its first application, the assertions stated above have a variable degree of plausibility and should be amended after more applications.

Number of Pages in PDF File: 14

Keywords: (e-)World, Metaphor, Human-machine systems, Synergy, Non-entropy, Ephemeral efficiency

JEL Classification: A19, C99, D89, P59

working papers series