Milestones in Information Storage and Retrieval Systems and Rawls’ Theory of Justice
Your sole resource for responding to the three essay topics is your text: Ethics for the Information Age (8th Edition). Respond to the topics for this writing assignment using your own words. Design your responses as if you are explaining facts, concepts, and ideas to someone who is not familiar with the subject matter. Be sure to include creative examples wherever they may be appropriate. Also, be sure to provide a title for each of your essay responses.
This assignment requires you to write essays in response to all of the following:
Part 1: In your own words, describe early milestones in information storage and retrieval, beginning with the Greek alphabet and proceeding to the advent of Ted Nelson’s creation of the hypertext system.
Part 2: Explain Rawls’ theory of justice, including basic concepts of his thought experiment, and in particular the idea of one’s original position, the veil of ignorance, and the difference principle.
Part 3: Describe evidence that Internet addiction exists based on your personal experience followed by a summary of expert opinion offered in our text. In that context, discuss factors that contribute to Internet addiction.
Rawl's Theory
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Early Milestones in Information Storage and Retrieval from the Greek Alphabet to the Hypertext System
Traditionally, librarians were tasked with storing and retrieving printed information. They arranged books and other printed materials on shelves in a prescribed order (such as subject classification systems and card catalogs) for people to easily access when necessary. However, the information age and the rapid spread of civilization globally saw the development of large volumes of data from the printing press, making the process of organization and retrieval difficult and tedious. This complexity led to the development of remarkable milestones in information storage and retrieval systems. Furthermore, as the world moved towards knowledge specialization, research became more complex and thorough. The development of new ideas, facts, and terminologies made organizing data and establishing proper relationships with one another even more difficult. Therefore, all efforts were channeled toward discovering new systems and ways of codifying and indexing data for ease of storage and retrieval. These discoveries led to the development of an information storage and retrieval system. It was a discipline focused on the systemic process of collecting and arranging information in a manner that displays the answers of various subjects automatically for ease of retrieval.
The milestones in information storage and retrieval systems are attributed to the invention of the alphabet by the Greeks, the codex and paper, Gutenberg's printing press, newspapers, and hypertext (Quinn, 2009). Around 750 BC, the Greeks developed the first true alphabets (with both consonants and vowels), which consisted of 24 characters. The alphabet enabled the transition of communication from oral to written culture. The alphabets were a simple and efficient way of transforming the early Mesopotamian communication means into written forms.
Another significant advancement in information and technology systems was coding and paper. In the old days, crucial information was recorded on papyrus scrolls wrapped around wooden rods for storage. However, with time, the papyrus scrolls would ware off, distorting the information stored therein. The development of the codex allowed quicker access to written information and proper storage. Codex comprised of rectangular pages sewed together on one side. The pages were made of calfskin (vellum) and sheepskin (parchments), making codex superior to papyrus scrolls as it was durable and could be divided into pages.
In the late middle ages, an explorer from China brought paper technologies that gradually replaced the codex. Johannes Gutenberg developed printing technology that used movable metal planes instead of wood in 1436. It was an effective mass communication tool, especially during the reformation age. The printing press paved the way for newspapers which stimulated free expression as a means of democracy. The government, in turn, responded to newspapers by censorship and licensing. Newspapers were significant in the American Revolution as they aided in unifying colonies and swaying public opinion towards independence.
In 1945, Vannevar Brush, the director of the office of scientific research and development during World War II, envisioned the possibility of a technology that could resolve significant problems such as information retrieval. In response, Ted Nelson coined the term hypertext, which refers to a 'linked network of codes containing information.' Furthermore, Douglas Engelbart directed the construction of the Online System and demonstrated windows, email, and videoconferencing.