Conceptual Foundations Group (CFG) Seminar

Professor Allen Renear and Visiting Scholar Jingzhu Wei (School of Information Management, Sun Yat-Sen University) will present "Defining Influence or What does it mean 'to stand on the shoulders of giants?'"

Abstract: Much research in the information sciences explores influence — how the beliefs or other intellectual achievements of a person or group of persons are related to those of another person or group of persons, with attention typically focused on the artifacts that are considered evidence for influence, such as citations in the scientific and scholarly literature.  Although identifying and explaining influence is a common research objective in our field, there has been surprising little effort to say exactly what influence is. We routinely indicate what evidence we will use to measure influence, but rarely if ever say, clearly and exactly, what it is we are measuring with the evidence.   This systematic omission can constrain the significance of empirical results and, more generally, impede the development of a robust understanding of information behavior.  To address these issues we have begun working on a conceptual analysis of intellectual influence and will be reporting on that project at CFG.

 No prior reading necessary, but if you wish: “Meaning”, H.P. Grice, The Philosophical Review, 1957

Questions? Contact Jessica Cheng

This event is sponsored by Conceptual Foundations Group