The vision of the new generation of office systems is based on the hypothesis that an automatic support system is all the more useful and acceptable, the more systems behaviour and performance are in accordance with features ofhuman behaviour. Consequently recent development activities are influenced by the paradigm of the computer as man's “cooperative assistant”. The metaphors ofassistance andcooperation illustrate some major requirements to be met by new office systems. Cooperative office systems will raise a set of new questions about (...) the future of human work, human-machine interaction, the forms of individual control of work, the scope of action and the development of competence in the frame of AI-supported cooperative work, the relative benefits of different types of organizations, etc. With increasing autonomy of the computer in task accomplishment, research should also be concerned with the question of the limits of such a development. In AI-research and development there is much discussion of the intended performance of that new technology. Perhaps this will provide insights into, how these new machines should support numerous aspects of individual or cooperative work. But we find fewer ideas about the future ofhuman work. What will the role of thehuman actor be in future AI-supported cooperative work? What kind of work do we want to support with AI-machines? In the following article I will try to identify some questions for further sociological research activities. I will base my considerations on some theoretical aspects ofunderstanding andmeaning. Regarding identical and non-identical aspects in communication behaviour of human and machines, I will focus on some questions to be investigated. Finally some methodological problems of sociological research in the field of Artificial Intelligence will be discussed, especially the so-called “Time-Dilemma” of sociological research in technology. (shrink)

Eine der frühesten Schriften des jungen Karl Marx — die Dissertationsschrift „Differenz der demokritischen und epikureischen Naturphilosophie“ — legt wichtige Fundamente für das gesamte Marx’sche Denken. In der Dissertationsschrift versucht Marx anhand des Vergleichs der antiken Naturphilosophien Demokrits und Epikurs grundlegende Erkenntnisse der theoretischen und praktischen Philosophie in einem komplexen, von Hegel inspirierten ontologischen System zu verbinden. Aus dieser kritischen Synthese antiker Naturphilosophien entsteht so eine auf Hegelschen Begriffen basierende, aber gleichzeitig reformierte Idee der Praxis. Auf diesen Grundlagen sowie mit (...) Hilfe des über die Kritik an Epikur und Hegel gewonnenen Begriffs der Entfremdung entwickelt Marx den dialektischen Materialismus der Naturphilosophie. Dem inhaltlichen Aufbau der Dissertationsschrift folgend wird in dem Aufsatz die Marx’sche Naturphilosophie diskutiert. Dabei werden die wichtigsten Begriffe des Marx‘schen Denkens, wie etwa Materialismus, Dialektik, Entfremdung oder Einheit von Theorie und Praxis in der Dissertationsschrift von Karl Marx ausgearbeitet. (shrink)

In his work “Gesten. Versuch einer Phänomenologie,” Flusser investigates the concept of gestures. Starting from a first definition of gestures, which explores the “causality” of movements, Flusser then discusses the meaning of the concept “gesture” in the broader context of culture as a symbolic expression. In this essay, we discuss Flusser’s view on gestures by studying them with respect to their function and meaning in communicative processes, both obvious and hidden. From a semiotic point of view, we analyse Flusser’s thoughts (...) on the function and the properties of gestures and provide a definition of “gesture”, which reflects its cultural, symbolic, and significant aspects. Particular emphasis is given to the role of gestures in communicative processes and their imbedding in the cultural environment. (shrink)

Uzimajući u obzir značaj simbolizacije za individualni razvoj čovjeka, kao i za povijesni razvoj čovječanstva, postavlja se pitanje transformacija simbolizacije u postmodernim uvjetima. Cilj rada je pokazati da se iza postmodernih karnevala znakova i ekstaze komunikacije pojavljuje duboka desimbolizacija kako subjektivnog tako i onog društvenog. Posljedica tih procesa je nestajanje uvjeta mogućnosti refleksije i kritike društva. Stoga, pod parolom postmoderne, animal symbolicum postaje animal desymbolicum, živeći u društvenoj pustinji, u nemoći da transcendira svoje lokalno iskustvo budući da je rastvorio opće (...) pojmove i ugrozio simbolički poredak. Čini se da je upao u duboku povijesnu i društvenu amneziju. (shrink)

Compte tenu de l’importance de la symbolisation dans le développement individuel de l’homme, tout comme dans le développement historique de l’humanité, se pose la question de la transformation de la symbolisation dans les conditions postmodernes. L’objectif est de montrer que, derrière les carnavals postmodernes des signes et l’extase de la communication, une profonde désymbolisation du subjectif aussi bien que du social est en train de se produire. La conséquence de ces processus est la disparition des conditions de la possibilité de (...) réflexion et de la critique de la société. Ainsi, sous le slogan de la postmodernité, l’animal symbolicum devient l’animal desymbolicum, vivant dans un désert social, incapable de transcender son expérience locale puisqu’il a dissolu les concepts généraux et mis en danger l’ordre symbolique. Il semblerait qu’il soit tombé dans une amnésie historique et sociale profonde. (shrink)