Søren Brier
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The Royal School of Librarianship, Aalborg Branch
Langagervej 4
DK 9220 Aalborg øst
Denmark.
Phone: +45 98 157922
Fax: +45 98 151042
E-mail: sbr@db.dk
Homeoffice:
Ved Vandløbet 21
DK-2610 Rødovre
Phone +45 42 844162.
Position
- Associate professor of information studies in science and
humanities at the Royal School of Librarianship, Aalborg
Branch, Denmark.
- Visiting professor at Aalborg University in philosophy of
science.
Education
- Master of science in biology from University of
Copenhagen 1979. Thesis: A critical and historical
examination of ethology's explanatory concepts of
perception, motivation and action.
- Ph.D. in Philosophy of Science at The Inst. for the study
of Mathematics and Physics and their use in research,
teaching and practise on a philosophy of science study of
information science and lelated subject areas developing
a non-reductivistic framework. Roskilde Universitycenter,
Denmark.1984.
Teaching areas
- Information studies in the sciences especially life
sciences and cybernetics: Information retrieval.
Philosophy and history of the sciences. The discussion of
quality and societal impact of popular science. Concepts
of information, communication and signification. The
theories of information science and cognitive information
structures, second order cybernetics and semiotics at
masters level.
Areas of research
- A philosophy of science approach to information science
and cognitive science viewing, second order cybernetics
and semiotics as epistemological strategies in the
understanding of information and communication processes
and their relation to the design of information systems
and technology. An attempt to establish an
interdisciplinary viewpoint with a focus on development
of a non-reductionistic view of information,
communication and signification.
- Popular science: Its role, development and functions in
modern society. Its media and quality evaluations.
- Philosophy and history of ethology.
Published books in Danish
- 20 papers or chapters in reviewed Danish scientific
journals or books on the ethological explanations of
cognition, on scientific world views and epistemologies,
on the developments (paradigm shifts) of the scientific
world view and its significance for our understanding of
human knowing, communication and consciousness and on the
philosophy of information science.
- 1993
- "Videnskabens ø" (The Island of
Science) a book on the philosophy and history of
science. Published by Nordic Summer University.
- "Naturvidenskabelig populærvidenskab:
Mellem objektivitet, engagement og
forførelse" (Popular science: Between
objectivity, involvement and seduction). A book
on the role and impact of popular science on
society, and on the criteria of quality in
popular science. Published by The Royal School of
Librarianship.
- 1994
- Second edition enlarged with examples from
information science.
- "Verdensformlen der blev væk" (The
world formula that disappeared). A book on the
history of ideas of the natural sciences focusing
on the change in concept of knowledge and world
view through the ages. Published by Aalborg
University Press.
- "Information er sølv..." Om muligheden
for en pragmatisk informationsteori baseret på
anden ordens kybernetik, semiotik og
sprogspilsteori. (Information is silver.... On
the possibility of a pragmatical information
theory based on second order cybernetics,
semiotics and language game theory)
Forlaget Biblioteksarbejde. 1994. (Ph.D
dissertation)
- 1995
Founder and editor of the interdisciplinary Danish journal
"Paradigma" from 1986 - 1990.
Papers in English
- Brier, S. (1992):"Foreword" (positional
statement) in Cybernetics & Human Knowing,
Aalborg, Denmark, Vol.1, no.1, pp.1-4.
- Brier, S. (1992):"A philosophy of science
perspective - on the idea of a unifying information
science" in P. Vakkari and B. Cronin (ed.) (1992) : Conceptions
of Library and Information Science: Historical, empirical
and theoretical perspectives" Taylor Graham,
London, pp.97-108.
- Brier, S. (1992):"Information and Consciousness: A
Critique of the Mechanistic foundation of the Concept of
Information" in Cybernetics & Human Knowing,
Aalborg, Denmark, Vol.1, no. 2/3, pp 71- 94.
- Brier, S. (1993): "Conversational Ethics and the
Global Environment" in Cybernetics & Human
Knowing Vol. 1, no. 4, pp. 51-55.
- Brier. S. (1994): "Second Order Cybernetic and
Semiotic Perspective on the Idea of a Unifying
Information Science." In the Proceedings of 4th
International Symposium on Systems Research and
Cybernetics of The International Institute of Advanced
Studies in Systems Research and Cybernetics and Society
for Applied Systems Research in Baden Baden, August 2-8,
1993. In press.
- Brier, S. (1993): "Cyber-Semiotics: Second order
cybernetics and the Semiotics of C.S. Peirce" in Proceedings
from the Second European Congress on System Science,
Prague, October 5-8. 1993. AFCET.
- Brier, S. (1993): "A
Cybernetic and Semiotic View on A Galilean Theory of
Psychology", in Cybernetics & Human Knowing
Vol.2 no.2, (pp. 31-46) Aalborg.
- Brier, S. (1994): "On the foundation of
Consciousness in a Theory of Knowledge" and "An
Alternative Understanding of Knowledge and Information
Based on a Paradigm of Higher States of
Consciousness" p.1335-1356 in Brady, B. and Peano,
L. (ed.)(1994): New Systems Thinking and Action for a New
Century, International Society for the Systems Sciences,
Proceedings of the Thirty-Eight Annual Meeting, Asilomar
Conference Centre, Pacific Grove, California, June 14-19,
1994.
- Brier, S. (1994): "Second Order Cybernetic and
Semiotic Perspective on the Idea of a Unified Information
Science" pp.5-10 in Lasker, G. E. (1994): Advances
in Interdis- ciplinary Research and Cybernetics, vol.1,
International Institute of Advanced Studies in Systems
Research and Cybernetics.
- Brier, S. (1994):" On the Foundation of
Consciousness in a Theory of Knowledge" p. 81-89 in
Lasker, G.E, & Murphy, D. (eds.)(1994):Advances in
Research of Human Consciousness, 111 pp, International
Institute of Advanced Studies in Systems Research and
Cybernetics, IIAS-12-94, ISBN 0921836163.
- Brier, S. (1995):"Trust in the order of
things", A review of Mathews, Freya (1994). The
Ecological Self, Routledge, London, pp.292. For Systems
Practise. Vol 9, nr. 4, 1996, pp. 377-385.
- Brier, S. (1995): "Childhood, Ethics and
Civilization: Attachment and the modern family's problems
with the emphatic upbringing of children."Conference
paper to the 7th International Conference on Systems
Research, Informatics and Cybernetics, 15-21 august in
Baden Baden. The International Institute of Advanced
Studies in Systems Research and Cybernetics.
- Brier, S. (1995): "Wages for Family Workers",
Conference paper to the 7th In- ternational Conference on
Systems Research, Informatics and Cybernetics, 15-21
august in Baden Baden. The International Institute of
Advanced Studies in Systems Research and Cybernetics.
- Brier, S. (1997):" Cyber-Semiotics: On autopoiesis,
code-duality and sign games in bio-semiotics".
Conference paper from Semiotics Around the world: Synthesis
in diversity: Fifth Congress of the IASS/AIS June 12-18,
1994; Berkeley, California. International Society for
Semiotic Studies. Ed. J. Rauch and G.F. Carr Mounton de
Gruynter, Berlin, New York.
- Brier, S. (1995):" Why documents and information are
not easily accessible in the huge international
information retrieval systems: an evaluation of the
theory behind information retrieval, from a cybernetic, a
semiotic and a language game point of view."
Key-note address at the International Conference on
Interdisciplinary Research and 2nd Orwellian symposium i
Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic, august 8-11.
- Brier, S. (1995):"Cyber-semiotics: On Autopoiesis,
Code-duality and Sign Games in Bio- semiotics" in Cybernetics
& Human Knowing Vol.3, no.1 pp. 3-14.
- Brier, S. (1996): "Cybersemiotics: A new
interdisciplinary development applied to the problems of
knowledge organisation and document retrieval in
information Science" Journal of Documentation
Vol. 52, no. 3, pp. 296-344.
- Brier, S. (1996): "From Second-order Cybernetics to
Cybersemiotics: A Semiotic Re-entry into the Second-order
Cybernetics of Heinz von Foerster", Systems
Research Vol. 13 No. 3, pp. 229-244, 1996.
- Brier, S. (1996): "The Necessity of a Theory of
Signification and Meaning in Cybernetics and System
Science", Proceeding of the Third European Congress
on Systems Science, Rome, 1-4 Oktober 1996, Edizioni
Kappa, Rom, pp. 693-697.
- Brier, S. (1996): "The Usefulness of Cybersemiotics
in dealing with Problems of Knowledge Organization and
Document Mediating Systems", Cybernetics:
Quarterly Review of the International Association for
Cybernetics, pp. 273-299.
- Brier, S. (1997): "Cyber-semiotics: On autopoiesis,
code-duality and signgames as vital aspects of
bio-semiotics", pp. 913-916 in "Semiotics
around the World: Synthesis in Diversity: Proceedings of
the Fifth Congress of the International Society for
Semiotic Studies, Berkeley 1994", Ed. I. Rauch and
G.F. Carr, Mounton de Gruyter, Berlin, New York, 1997.
- Brier, S. (1997): "Biosemiotics and cybersemiotics:
The integration of biosemiotics in a larger framework of
self-organizing signifying systems", in Sankey,
M.R., Gimate-Welsh. A. and Pellegino, P. (1997):
Semiotics bridging Nature & Culture, VI'th
International Congress of the International Association
for Semiotic Studies, Guadalejara, Mexico Juliom 13-18,
1997, p. 215, abstract.
Professional activities
- Editor and publisher of the international and
interdisciplinary quarterly journal "Cybernetics
& Human Knowing", Aalborg, Denmark, founded
in 1992.
- A founder of the Danish Academy of Applied Philosophy.
- Trustee of the American Society for Cybernetics.
- Member of The International Institute for Advanced
Studies in Systems Research and Cybernetics.
- Member of the International Centre for Interdisciplinary
Research in Psychiatry, Svogerslev, Roskilde, Denmark and
its french associate the Centre International de
Recherche Interdisciplinaire en Psychiatrie, C.I.R.I.P.,
Paris, France.
Awards
- The gold medal of the University of Copenhagen 1981 for a
prize essay in psychology, on probabilistic and
hierarchical models of motivation.
1981-1983 research fellowship in Psychological
Laboratorium at The University of Copenhagen.
- The International Institute of Advanced Studies in
Systems Cybernetics and System Research Foundation's
Distinguished Service Award in recognition of the
distinguished service for the cybernetic community and
for presenting an outstanding Keynote Address at the
INTERSYMP'93 held August 2-8, 1993 in Baden-Baden,
Germany.
- Systems Research Foundation. Award for his great
contribution to advancement of Cybernetics and for his
excellent editional work in publishing Cybernetics and
Human Knowing. Baden-Baden, Aug. 17. 1996.
Conference talks
- 1987-1994
- every year on "The American Society for
Cybernetics". USA.
- 1991
- "Conceptions of Library and Information
Science: Historical, empirical and the- oretical
perspectives", Tampere, Finland.
- 1993
- "6'th International Conference on Systems
Research, Informatics and Cybernetics" Baden
Baden.
- "Second European Congress on System
Science" (CES 2), Prag.
- "Danish society for the semiotics of
nature".
- 1994
- "Fifth Congress of the IASS/AIS June 12-18,
1994: Semiotics Around the world" June
12-18, Berkeley, California.
- "International Society for the System
Sciences Thirty-Eighth Annual meeting: New
Systems Thinking a New Century" June 14-19,
Asilomar, Pacific Grove, California.
- "Risiko, System und Umwelt" Seminar mit
Niklas Luhmann am Humanistischen
Forschungszentrum der Universität Odense,
Dänemark, den 21. und 22. Juni.
- International Conference on Interdisciplinary
Research and 2nd Orwellian symposium i Karlovy
Vary, Czech Republic, august 8-11.
- 1995
- Einstein meets Magritte, Free University of
Brussels, Brussels 28. May to 3. June.
- The National research counsil of Norways
conference on library Research, 14-15 of August.
Oslo. Norway.
- 8th International Conference on Systems Research,
Informatics and Cybernetics, 15-21 August in
Baden Baden, Germany.
- The emergence of codes and intentions as a basis
of sign processes: An interdisciplinary semiotic
symposium, October 16-28 1995, Man and Nature
Humanities Research Center, Hollufgård, Odense
Universitet, Danmark.
- 1996
- 7th International Conference on Systems Research,
Informatics and Cybernetics, 15- 21 august in
Baden Baden, 15-21 august.
- Third European Congress on System Science, Rome
1-4. Okt. 1996 as organizator of the track
"Cybersemiotics".
- CoLIS2 (Conceptions of Library and Information
Science) october, Royal School of Librarianship,
Copenhagen.
- FIS 2 (Foundation of Information Science) 1996,
June, Vienna Technical University.
- 1997
- VIth International Congress International
Association for Semiotic Studies, Guadalaja,
Mexico; July, 13-18, 1997.
- CASYS'97: First International Conference on
Computing Anticipatory Systems, HEC Liege,
Belgium, August 11-15, 1997.
- InterSymp '97 on Systems Research, Informatics
and Cybernetics, August 18 - 23 1997, Baden
Baden, Germany.
Editor of this homepage is Søren
Brier
Rev. - 05.11.1997