Universalism as Utopia

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Author(s)
Van Acker, Wouter
Griffith University Author(s)
Year published
2011
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On the basis of a case study - the utopia of a Universal Network of Documentation as conceived by the bibliographer and internationalist Paul Otlet (Brussels 1868-Brussels 1944) - this paper focuses on the spatial contradiction inherent in the claim of the universality of scientifi c knowledge which was common in the beginning of the twentieth century. Through an analysis of the spatial schemas drawn by Otlet in which he envisions a new system for the dissemination and organization of knowledge, this article aims to show the complex spatial nature of the epistemological claim of universalism in his time, which in current ...
View more >On the basis of a case study - the utopia of a Universal Network of Documentation as conceived by the bibliographer and internationalist Paul Otlet (Brussels 1868-Brussels 1944) - this paper focuses on the spatial contradiction inherent in the claim of the universality of scientifi c knowledge which was common in the beginning of the twentieth century. Through an analysis of the spatial schemas drawn by Otlet in which he envisions a new system for the dissemination and organization of knowledge, this article aims to show the complex spatial nature of the epistemological claim of universalism in his time, which in current localist views on science tends to be excessively simplified.
View less >
View more >On the basis of a case study - the utopia of a Universal Network of Documentation as conceived by the bibliographer and internationalist Paul Otlet (Brussels 1868-Brussels 1944) - this paper focuses on the spatial contradiction inherent in the claim of the universality of scientifi c knowledge which was common in the beginning of the twentieth century. Through an analysis of the spatial schemas drawn by Otlet in which he envisions a new system for the dissemination and organization of knowledge, this article aims to show the complex spatial nature of the epistemological claim of universalism in his time, which in current localist views on science tends to be excessively simplified.
View less >
Conference Title
Constructing Knowledge – Das Wissen der Architektur
Copyright Statement
© The Author(s) 2011. The attached file is reproduced here in accordance with the copyright policy of the publisher. For information about this conference please refer to the conference’s website or contact the author.
Subject
Architectural History and Theory