Cultivating and harvesting semantic coherence in SMIsC hypertext networks

Abstract

This paper describes a hypertext system called System of Meaning Integrities structural Creation (SMIsC). The central component of this system is the macrocontrol subsystem. Its purpose is to overcome the Navigation Problem in hypertext by assisting users to blaze semantically coherent trails. These semantically coherent trails are meaning integrities. To construct the subsystem, we used discourse analysis and psycholinguistics and this is explained in detail in our previous paper [3]. The present paper deals with other aspects of SMIsC. Although not the central component, these other aspects of the system directly contribute to the general “coherentist” (holistic) orientation of SMIsC. We discuss the working of the micro level of the database network with respect to newly incoming nodes and links. We also discuss the monitoring of the emergence of large coherence clusters at the macro level in the network. We emphasize the close analogy between these events and the self-creation of meaning in synergetics [7]. Harvesting coherence is described as “catching” the clusters in the network for using them as global navigational contexts and a source of grounding materials and goal structures.