The Information Plenum: A New Context for Technical Communicators

Abstract
The traditional tools and methods of technical communication derive from the notion of
an Information Vacuum; in this context, the role of the communicator is to find and
pack information, to alleviate the naivet and ignorance of the audience. In contrast,
todays audience lives in an Information Plenum, in which almost every social, artistic,
and commercial transaction leaves a nearly permanent information residue. In this new
context, the mission of the communicator is less to fill gaps than to guide and counsel
information users. The role shifts from parent/teacher (in the vacuum) to friend/therapist
(in the plenum). The central problem for contemporary technical communicators is that,
nowadays, most seekers of information believe that the truth is out there somewhere;
alas, so are errors, nonsense, and deliberate lies. New communication tools are needed
that lead seekers to the truth without lecturing, scolding, or constricting them.

The particular style of handling information and extracting knowledge inherent in the Talmud
folio is different from the traditional way of reading and studying in the West. The differences
are philosophical and cultural, based on quite different models of mind and intelligence. A
Talmud page is not a page of King James Bible; Talmudic logic is not Aristotelian logic.
There are two perspectives on knowledge: Hellenistic and Talmudic. The worldview of the
Greek philosophers (mainly Aristotle) versus the worldview of the Rabbis and Sages who
compiled the Talmud. And if, as it appears, the new ways of communicating are making our
lives less Hellenistic and more Talmudic, does this not signal a major cultural shift in the
communications profession.
This new way of communicating, which Ted Nelson probably saw first, is almost entirely
dependent on hypertext/media, the perfect alternative to the inexorable forward moment of
Hellenistic communication. (In a Platonic dialogue, the secondary speakers are merely
instruments to advance Socrates arguments; he never concedes or loses a point! There is no real
discussion or deliberation.)
Interestingly, Gershom Gorenberg, writing about the use of new media in Bible and Talmud
study observes that Jewish religious study became hypertext centuries ago, even if its taken
technology until now to catch up.

But why? Why until recent electronic innovations was it necessary for the Talmud student to
have someone to argue with, as well as several open books, merely to understand what was on
a page before him?
I propose that the two conflicting views of the world are the Information Vacuum and the
Information Plenum. In the Hellenistic conception, the world is empty of information and it is
the task of the philosopher/communicator to introduce new knowledge into the world: to
research, prove, write, present, publish his or her own discoveries of what is true and effective.
In the Talmudic conception, the universe is already absolutely filled with information,
including the answers to every conceivable question. All knowledge is inherent in the received
texts and revealed through their study. And each insight received from the texts, if legitimate,
becomes part of the text forever. (There was even a rift late in the last century between those
traditional Jews who believed that much could be learned from reading all the books of the
world and those who believed that reading anything other than the received texts was a waste
of valuable study time; those taking the former position are sometimes called modern
orthodox.)
I suspect that the methods and approach of technical communicators are shaped by whichever
of these two worldviews most closely describe their own orientation. And complicating matters
is the fact that, at various particular times in the history of communication, the world has
seemed either empty or full of information.
For example, those who built information systems in the 70s remember, mainly, that there was
almost no accessible, usable information, and never enough money to collect it. Developers tried
to fill the vacuum; they created data and generated information.
The great vacuum of the 80s was our ignorance of computers (which were suddenly
everywhere) and our inability to document and teach the use of software (which had suddenly
become essential to our professional lives). Thus, most of the models and skills we developed
in the 80s grew from this context. . . .
But perhaps it is time to try on the other worldview. Since the advent of widespread use of
computers, an extraordinary change has occurred in the universe, especially in the world of
work. Today, almost every exchange between people, or between people and machines, throws
off a durable file of data, typically already organized into meaningful categories. Moreover, in
recent years, nearly all of that information is available to everyone, usually no more than a half
dozen nodes from ones own computer (often closer). It is difficult to escape the impression that
the solution to every practical problem, the answer to every factual question, the documentation
for every assertion or claim . . . that all of it is already out there in a plenum dense with data
(raw) and information (organized).

This, perhaps, is one way to characterize the transition from information and communication
professionals to Knowledge and Knowledge Management Professionals. The new emphasis is
on helping people make sense of the plenum, either to

find what they need (the knowledge technician),

teach them to find what they need (the knowledge counselor), or
help them to learn to live with the frustration of the search (the knowledge
therapist).

Propositions
There are two ways of looking at the universe: as an information vacuum needing to be
filled through the generation of data; or as an information plenum, already full and
needing navigation and adaptation skills.
The Western intellectual enterprise is built, mainly, on an Aristotelian version of the
Information Vacuum, in which the searcher or researcher is concerned with generating
new data, and with their associated interpretations.
The Middle Eastern, or Talmudic view, is that everything one needs to know is already
in the universe and accessible to everyone, through an interactive process known as
turning.
Philosophy
Universalism
Modernism

Rhetoric
Tribalism
Postmodernism

Propositions
The Information Plenum is not the Internet. The Internet is a large part of the Plenum
and will be increasingly larger until it is superseded by the next network.
As the number of data paths increases, the notion of path becomes less meaningful.
All proprietary data formats tend to become transparent and exportable.

The ordained language of the plenum is English. Material that is not in English does
not, in a sense, exist. Moreover, most of the English in the plenum is poor and badly
written.
Any material that enters the plenum can be permanently linked to its author, but, even
so, will be widely disseminated and abused without regard for intellectual property.
The more one interacts with the plenum, the less privacy one has.
All schemes to encrypt or copy-protect information will be defeated shortly after they
are implemented.
The overwhelming majority of statements of fact in the plenum will be errors, mistakes,
or deliberate falsehoods.
The overwhelming majority of arguments and conclusions in the plenum will be invalid
or fallacious.
Whenever documents in the plenum are revised and updated, they will share space
with the older obsolete versions.
For the overwhelming majority of data stores in the plenum, there will be no person or
agency charged with maintaining or purging the contents.
In the IP, there will be no sharp distinction between fact, art, entertainment, and
propaganda.
The Information Plenum will eliminate most jobs and many professions; those that will
be spared include:
Persons who touch others. (Including physical assistance and therapy)
Those who can draw non-algorithmic inferences and defend them

Abstract
In this new context, the mission of the communicator is less to fill gaps than to guide and counsel
information users. The role shifts from parent/teacher (in the vacuum) to friend/therapist (in the
plenum). The central problem for contemporary technical communicators is that, nowadays,
most seekers of information believe that the truth is out there somewhere; alas, so are errors,
nonsense, and deliberate lies. New communication tools are needed that lead seekers to the truth
without lecturing, scolding, or constricting them.

Technical Communication across Cultures: Five Philosophical

Questions," Journal of Business and Technical Communication, April
1998

"From Talmud Folios to Web Sites: Hot Pages, Cool Pages, and the Information Plenum," IEEE
Transactions on Professional Communication, June 1998