Here is a draft proposal from Del Wilson <WilsonDL@aol.com>, still in progress:
World Knowledge Network
Purpose
Create a new social environment whereby the worlds greatest minds are
encourage to think with shared concepts across disciplines to that new
knowledge is fostered.
Method
To begin a process where the world's organizations who recognize
contributions to the sociological, political, environmental and other global
issues (such as the Nobel Prize) will contribute to the identification of the
owners of the worlds greatest knowledge and thereby enable a network of
public connections to those of the world who are recognized as premier
leaders in their respective fields of knowledge. There is no intention of
creating a repository of this knowledge, but to identify where the knowledge
exists and to create a forum whereby the knowledge owners may form new
relationships across their disciplines thus allowing for new discoveries in
knowledge.
Capability
The communications capability of the Internet will be used to link the
knowledge owners. Tools at the server and client will be provided by the
sponsors of the network. EDS will host the server and supply the personnel to
support the network. Internet public domain tools will be in place to make
the results of the network available to the world. Tools such as MaxThink,
Lotus, VNS and others will be supplied by the owning companies or the users.
The choice of the tools used by the participants is theirs alone and will be
acceptable in so far as their interaction with the other participants.
The participants would be encourage to share their knowledge with the other
participants to create new thinking. All results would be made available to
the world using a WWW server. This work would not replace other work, but
would extend it into shared minds. Public and private forums will be
supported so that the intellectual leadership of the world may combine their
knowledge for all the world to see. Provisions will be made so that anyone
who has viable comments may make them to the participants.
The forums will be moderated by volunteers recognized by the participants as
knowledge workers in the field of extended relationships and learning. New
and existing tools to find relationships between disciplines will be used.
The use of these tools in conjunction with the creativity of the participants
will enable new thinking to be made available to the world. The availability
of this new thinking will spawn other thoughts that may bridge the gaps
between vertical fields of knowledge giving the world a new perspective that
otherwise may not occur as rapidly.
Participants will be restricted from gaining financial rewards form this
collaboration. Any recognition from established organizations and groups will
be encourage including accompaning financial awards. Personal profit from the
work other than allowed by awards is not permitted. Individuals in the world
audience who are able to pursue ideas are encouraged to do so at whatever
gain thay may make. This restriction is to foster more recognition of new
sources of knowledge than to continually reinforce existing soruces.
There will be no pre-conceived problems to solve. The particiapants and the
public at large will define the problems if problems are defined. The
intention is to create new thinking that can be applied to areas of conern,
not to specifially addres current problems. This allows for a more free-form
thinking process to be established. Problems as we see them today may not be
the problem we should be solving, given that new thinking can be generated.
Characteristics
Participants will be chosen based on their global recognition of expertise.
Success in business as a leader, education as a teacher, and administration
of work efforts will not automatically qualify someone as a participant. The
World Knowledge Network will link those who have established themselves as
thought leaders through their demonstration of discovery and capabilities as
identified by groups and organizations who have existing programs for such
recognition. The World Knowledge Network will establish a process for
recognizing the collaborative efforts of the participants as new information
is created. This process will be created by the sponsors of the network in
cooperation with the participants. However, the world at large will not be
excluded from the activity of creating the process or being the recipient of
the awards.
Individual, corporate and governmental sponsors from the world will be
solicited to assist with the network. Benefits of sponsorship will be
realized as the world leaders in new learning techniques and contributors to
creating new thinking that changes our basic understanding of how things work
and what man can do to improve his world. There is room on the sponsor lists
for many names. There is room in the participants list for many names. The
entire community on the Internet will have a means to contribute and learn.
Those who can practice learning and new thinking will be leaders in the
network.
Beginnings
1. Participants in definition of the network processes and capabilities are:
Del Wilson
Doug Bell
Neal Larson
Laurie Fitzgerald
These people are now known as the Network Definition Team (NDT).
2. The NDT will collaborate to create the foundation and principles of the
WK*net.
3. When there is enough definition and foundation for establishing WK*net,
the NDT will investigate the current world organizations that recognize
thought leaders.
4. The NDT will contact sponsors as agreed to in the foundation agreement.
5. The sponsors and the NDT will contact the organizations and though them,
the individuals who will participate.
6. The NDT and the Sponsor Board will encourage the individuals to
participate. This encouragement may take several forms. The sponsors may want
to contribute to the individuals work though donations of people and/or
money.
7. The sponsors will donate tools and technology to the network.
8. The NDT will establish mechanisms for the sponsors to become involved as
they choose.
9. The NDT will establish the moderators for the network.
10. The network will be activated with announcements in the press and on the
Internet.
11. The World Knowledge Network will begin to grow and change as needed.
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b30 : Thu Dec 07 2000 - 23:22:10 PST