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William P. Hall

ESSAYS, SKETCHES, and PRESENTATIONS

 

Contents listed here are unreviewed and unpublished essays,  working papers and presentations that may cited in academic contexts. However, before doing so please check with me to see if they may have been superseded (the same material may have been formally published or be in press). As indicated, some have been posted to Web forums but have been cosmetically edited prior to posting them here. I'm happy for people to link to the papers if you think I have written something interesting, and I am willing to share the ideas as long as reference is made to my work in progress.

Although the works have been posted to forums as diverse as religion, organizational knowledge management, philosophy, technical writing, artificial intelligence, the emergence of life and organizational autopoiesis, the common thread underlying all of them is the theory of organization (as broadly defined) and the evolution of individual and organizational knowledge.

Road testing the concept and content of a new kind of book: Application Holy Wars or a New Reformation - A fugue on the theory of knowledge

For several years I have been working on a major hypertext book on the co-evolution of human cogition and technologies that is now nearing completion. Given the revolutionary approach I have taken to creating the book, it is unlikely that any conventional book publisher would know how to review or publish it. In order to get critical feedback on its concept and content I have established a Meetup group, Melbourne Human Origins, Cognitive Technologies, and Futures, to read, review and discuss the book's structure and content.

Files relating to the development and history of this project can be found by following the link above.

This project is on hold while I work on higher priorities (i.e., global warming).

Managing Knowledge in the Real World: managing knowledge in the rise and fall of a major engineering enterprise — a case study

I have started a new book project to present a case study of my 17½ years working for Tenix Defence as a documentation and knowledge management systems analyst and designer that should actually not take too long to finish. The book will consist of a selected collection of published and internal papers I have written together with various colleagues that describe various documentation and knowledge management systems I have been involved with and lessons learned from this experience.

The working outline of the book can be accessed here, including two introductory presentations and links to the published papers intended to be included in the work. I have also posted four of my internal Tenix documents that are likely to be included or cited.

This project is on hold while I work on higher priorities (i.e., global warming).

[Note: In general, Acrobat Reader will not show embedded videos is PDF files - for videos to work you must either use Acrobat Professional or open the MS PPS or PPSX versions of the presentations.]


Other essays, sketches and presentations follow below:

  1. Hall, W.P. 2020. Using the Internet - Who can be trusted on an Internet full of fake news, alternative facts, tweets, sound bites,and trolls? University of the 3rd Age, Gisborne, 24 Feb. (PDF)

  2. Hall, W.P. 2020. Homo habilis to Homo destructor ― How the rise of tool-making apes can destroy the world. University of the 3rd Age, Gisborne 3 Feb. (PDF).

  3. Hall, W.P. 2020. How can we get off the road to mass extinction our hairy ancestors opened when they began using tools and fire to dominate nature? Gisborne 10 Feb. (PDF).

  4. Hall, W.P. 2019. We’re told we are facing climate and ecological emergencies: Is it so? What do we do about them? University of the 3rd Age, Gisborne 7 October (PDF).

  5. Hall, W.P. 2019. Evolution of Homo sapiens -- How tool-using apes came to dominate the world. University of the 3rd Age, Gisborne, 26 Aug (PDF; PPSX).

  6. Hall, W.P. 2019. My life in science and knowledge management. University of the 3rd Age, 27 May (PDF).

  7. Hall, W.P., Smith, T. 2018. Two essays on contingency vs natural selection in the origin of technologically advanced self-consciousness. Central Victorian Atheists and Freethinkers, Albion Hotel, Kyneton, Vic. Wednesday 8 April 2018: W.P. Hall - Is anyone out there? Fermi’s Paradox and the Drake Equation (PPSX with animation - 17 MB; PDF with no animation - 2 MB); Tony Smith - Nobody out there - a combinatorial case against the existence of other space goers (SlideShare). Note: Adam Ford recorded the audio of Tony's talk.

  8. Hall, W.P. 2017. Climate Crisis: Is it real? How bad might it be? - Macedon Ranges Greens AGM, Woodend, 23 Aug 2017; (PSX with animation only).

  9. Hall, W.P. 2017. Physics, Neurobiology, and evolution of "free will". Central Victorian Atheists and Freethinkers. Albion Hotel, Kyneton, Vic., Wednesday 16 August 2017; PPSX with animation, static PDF (version 4 Sept 2017).

  10. Hall, W.P. 2017. Positive Feedback and the Evolution of Human Culture. Atheist Society – Unitarian Hall, East Melbourne, Tuesday, 11 July 2017.

  11. Hall, W.P. 2017. Staying Rational in a World of Tweets, Fake News, Alternative Facts and Sound Bites. Vic. Skeptics, Clyde Hotel, Carlton, Vic., Monday 19 June 2017.

  12. Hall, W.P. 2017. Making Rational Decisions in a world of "Fake News" and "Alternative Truths". Central Victorian Atheists and Freethinkers. Albion Hotel, Kyneton, Vic. Wednesday 15 March 2017; PPSX with animation, static PDF (version 20170304)

  13. Hall, W.P. 2016. The Angst of Anthropogenic Global Warming: Our Species' Existential Risk. Existentialist Society, Unitarian Church, East Melbourne, Tuesday 6 September 2016; Complete version (updated to 21 October 2016).

  14. Hall, W.P., Smith, T. 2015. Discussing the emergence of formal knowledge management systems in prehistory; (Smith) First look at Lynne Kelly’s synthesis re orality as precursor to literacy. Melbourne Emergence Meetup, University of Melbourne, 9 July 2015.

  15. Hall, W.P. 2015. Socially Constructing Warships — Emergence, growth & senescence of a knowledge-intensive complex adaptive system. Melbourne Emergence Meetup, University of Melbourne, 11 June 2015

  16. Hall, W.P. 2015. Failing to learn from Australia’s most successful defence project. SIRF 2nd KM Roundtable 2015, South Melbourne, 26/5/2015.

  17. Hall, W.P. 2015. How the exponential growth of knowledge is both creating a singularity and may at the same time provide some way to avoid or manage the singularity crisis. Unitarian Philosophy Forum, 3 May 2015.

  18. Hall, W.P. 2014. Monkey Business - What apes and New World monkeys tell us about the origins of human culture, technology and knowledge management. Melbourne Emergence Meetup, September 11, 2014.

  19. Hall, W.P. 2014. Life, Knowledge and Natural Selection- How life (scientifically) designs its future. Science Technology Future Symposium: Philosophy of Science – Future by Design. Science Week, August 23-24, 2014, Unitarian Church, East Melbourne [animated PowerPoint presention - 10 MB, non-animated Acrobat PDF presentation - 1 MB]

  20. Hall, W.P. 2014. Evolutionary epistemology versus faith and justified true belief - Does science work and can we know the truth? Atheists Society Lecture, Unitarian Church, East Melbourne, 12 August 2014.

  21. Hall, W.P. 2014. Understanding the origins of socio-technical humans and their organizations — Coevolution of technology, cognition, culture and organizations: working hypothesis. Draft story board for Episode 5 from Application Holy Wars or a New Reformation - a fugue on the theory of knowledge (in preparation - Revision 28/7/2014).

  22. Hall, W.P. 2014. Supporting business decisions in the technological enterprise. Presentation for MGMT20005 Business Decision Analysis, University of Melbourne 30 April 2014.

  23. Hall, W.P. 2014. Valuing Knowledge. Extract from Application Holy Wars or a New Reformation - a fugue on the theory of knowledge (in preparation - Revision 26/4/2014).

  24. Hall, W.P. 2014. Understanding the origins of socio-technical humans and their organizations - Coevolution of technology, cognition, culture and organizations. Presentation: Philosophy Forum - Unitarian Hall, East Melbourne, 6 April 2014.

  25. Hall, W.P. 2013. Interlude: Time, Dynamics, Life and the Emergence of Complexity. Extract from Application Holy Wars or a New Reformation - A fugue on the theory of knowledge (in preparation - Revision 16/10/2013).

  26. Hall, W.P. 2013. The Epistemology of Living Organizations-Theoretical Foundations and Practical Applications. Presentation for Philosophy Forum, 6 October 2013, Unitarian Hall, East Melbourne.

  27. Hall, W.P. 2013. Developing a biological understanding of organizational knowledge. Presentation for Melbourne Knowledge Management Leaders Forum, 24 July 2013.

  28. Hall, W.P. 2013. Knowledge vs belief, justification and truth - What scientific knowledge is and how it works. Presentation for Philosophy Forum, Unitarian Church, East Melbourne, 7 July 2013.

  29. Hall, W.P. 2013. MOOCs - A Disruptive Innovation for Higher Education? Presentation for Melbourne Emergence Meetup, 11 April 2013, RMIT Engineering, Building 57, Grattan St, Carlton.

  30. Hall, W.P. 2013. Knowledge and Life: What does it mean to be living? Presentation for Existentialist Society Lecture, 2 April 2013, Unitarian Hall, East Melbourne.

  31. Hall, W.P. 2013. Evolution, Humanity and Religion: Where is the evidence for God? Presentation for Central Victorian Atheists and Freethinkers, 20 Feb. 2013, Albion Hotel, Kyneton.

  32. Hall, W.P. 2012. Evolutionary Origins of Homo sapiens. Extract from Application Holy Wars or a New Reformation - A fugue on the theory of knowledge (in preparation - Version 2/12/2012).

  33. Hall, W.P. 2012. Emergence of the Humano-Technical Indivividual. Extract from Application Holy Wars or a New Reformation - A fugue on the theory of knowledge (in preparation), Kororoit Institute Working Paper No. 4. (Version 18/8/2012)

  34. Hall, W.P. 2012. Introducing Kororoit Institute - Who we are, why we're here. Kororoit Institute Symposium on Living Spaces for Change: Socio-technical knowledge of cities and regionsEngineering House, North Melbourne, 29 February – 2 March 2012.

  35. Hall, W.P. 2005. Why Intelligent Design Isn't Very Intelligent Contribution to discussion on Theories of Evolution: Intelligent Design versus Natural Selection, Melbourne Unitarian Peace Memorial Church 23 November 2005

  36. Hall, W.P. 2005. Questions about cell biology / organization environment boundaries - Three worlds and the epistemic cut. [Formatted and edited version of a sketch originally posted to Autopoiesis-Dialognet Sunday 17 April 2005] - http://groups.yahoo.com/group/autopoiesis-dialognet/message/1326.

  37. Hall, W.P. 2004. A Biological Theory of Knowledge: Foundation Literature and a Sketch. [Formatted and lightly edited version of a sketch orignially posted to the ai-philosophy forum on 18 October 2004, includes graphics] - http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ai-philosophy/message/339

  38. Hall, W.P. 2004. Incommensurable paradigms in KM and KM holy wars.  [Formatted and lightly edited version of a note originally posted to the kmci-virtual chapter on 14 July 2004] - http://finance.groups.yahoo.com/group/kmci-Virtual-Chapter/message/5227

  39. Hall, W.P. 2004. - Groupthink, the CIA, and KM: to solve the problem we need to know what it is [Formatted and lightly edited version of a sketch originally posted to the kmci-virtual chapter on 13 July 2004, includes reference details and graphics] - http://finance.groups.yahoo.com/group/kmci-Virtual-Chapter/message/5223; and a response posted on 14 July 2004 - http://finance.groups.yahoo.com/group/kmci-Virtual-Chapter/message/5225

  40. Hall, W.P. 2004. - Third Order (Social) Autopoiesis (Take 2) [Re-titled, formatted and lightly edited version of a sketch originally posted to Autopoiesis-Dialognet Saturday, 15 May 2004] - http://groups.yahoo.com/group/autopoiesis-dialognet/message/651

  41. Hall, W.P. 2003. Why the "argument from design" doesn't hold water [as posted to http://christianity.about.com/ 24 January 2003] - http://forums.about.com/ab-christianity/messages?msg=9881.141

  42. Hall, W.P. 2003. On Books, Larvae, Marine Life and the Evolution of Diversity. [as posted to http://christianity.about.com/ 26 January 2003] - http://forums.about.com/ab-christianity/messages?msg=10917.2462

  43. Hall, W.P. 2003. Intelligent Design vs Natural Selection as Rational Explanations to Account for the Present Diversity of Life: Overall Introduction. [as posted to http://christianity.about.com/ 1 February 2003] - http://forums.about.com/ab-christianity/messages?msg=10917.2506

  44. Hall, W.P. 2003. Intelligent Design vs Natural Selection as Rational Explanations to Account for the Present Diversity of Life: Part 1. Philosophy of Science and What Makes Theories Scientific. [as posted to http://christianity.about.com/ 2 February 2003] - http://forums.about.com/ab-christianity/messages?msg=10917.2507

  45. Hall, W.P. 2003. Intelligent Design vs Natural Selection as Rational Explanations to Account for the Present Diversity of Life: Part 2. Core Concepts in the Theory of Evolution Based on Variation and Natural Selection. [as posted to http://christianity.about.com/ 9 February 2003] - http://forums.about.com/ab-christianity/messages?msg=10917.2521

  46. Hall, W.P. 2003. - Are Third Order (i.e. Social) Autopoietic Systems Necessarily Autocratic? [Re-titled, formatted and lightly edited version of sketches originally posted to Autopoiesis-Dialognet 7 and 8 November 2003] - http://groups.yahoo.com/group/autopoiesis-dialognet/message/532 and http://groups.yahoo.com/group/autopoiesis-dialognet/message/541

  47. Hall, W.P. 2001. The Second Law of Thermodynamics and the Origin of Life. [lightly edited version of the original posted to http://christianity.about.com/ 30 September 2001] - http://forums.about.com/ab-christianity/messages?msg=8657.42

  48. Hall, W.P. 2001. Time to Declare War on Fundamentalism. [lightly edited version of the original posted to http://christianity.about.com/ 28 September 2001] - http://forums.about.com/ab-christianity/messages?msg=8666.