Conceptual Knowledge Organisation and the Problem of Understanding

Knowledge has been defined as processed networks of cognitive maps based on the experiences and intrinsic capacities of the individual, as well as social/cultural standards, patterns and schemes that organise perceptive information on environmental effects and regulate individual behaviour within social systems (Oeser and Seitelberger, 1995, pp. 103, 203 ff., 219 f.; Shore, 1996, pp. 311 ff.). In this context, knowledge refers to all sorts of conceptual knowledge, that is, knowledge properties that are available for verbal expression and as text (Zelger, 1999a). When dealing with complex knowledge systems we are confronted with a vast amount of conceptual data or texts. Based on two empirical examples, this chapter will demonstrate how the computer-supported GABEK method can be used to process and structure conceptual knowledge in order to foster understanding according to Pask’s (1976) conversation theory and Gadamer’s (1993) hermeneutical approach. The first example focuses on processes of knowledge organisation and the generation of conceptual network graphs. The second example relates to the process of building gestalten trees and generating hierarchically structured conceptual networks (Zelger, 1999b, 1999c). The question of how GABEK can facilitate understanding in complex social situations and intercultural environments will also be addressed.