Multimedia encyclopedia of philosophy sciences (abstract)

Abstract

Extended Abstract The goal of this project is the worldwide dissemination of advanced philosophy concepts, through the exploitation of new technologies. The world famous " Istituto Italiano per gli Studi Filosofici " (Italian Institute for Philosophy Studies), ensures the scientific supervision of the project; the " Encyclopedia 'lleccani " and the " Poligrafico dello State " (the nation official printing institution) are responsible for the editorial policy; the Politecnico di Milano provides assistance for Computer technology. The core the of the project is the collection of large amount of videotapes, containing interviews with '(protagonists " : the moat prestigious philosophers, philosophy scholars and scientists, who have warmly cooperated. Since '86 more than 400 interviews, corresponding to more than 900 hours of tapes, have been conducted. In addition , thousands of slides and more than 100 hours of videotapes , documenting important aspects of archaeology, architecture, painting and sculpture, have been included. Five different series of video-cassettes have been prepared: The Roots of the Short excerpts (5 minutes) are broadcasted everyday , nationwide , by TV channels. Before the end of the year Radio 'llansmissions will start. Special editions for College and High school students are in preparation. All the different editions outline specific aspects and a specific usage of the material. A special version is supposed, in the future, to include all the previous editions: the interactive version, being prepared through the cooperation with the Department of Electronics of Politecnico di Mi-lano. It is an Hypermedia application that allows search, queries and above all, navigation across the complex material. Guided tours and views, either predefine or created by the reader, allow personalized " reading sessions ". Overall the project is a reaction to the current schizophrenic situation: as the technology advances provide more means for communication, human beings realize that they have less to say. Paul Ricoeur, a prestigious member of the scientific board of the project, considers this gap between technology of communication and cultural communication as one of the most dangerous pathologies of modern society.