The Art of Interpretation in the Age of Computation

This book is about media, mediation, and meaning. It focuses on a set of interrelated processes whereby seemingly human-specific modes of meaning become automated by machines, formatted by protocols, and networked by infrastructures—that is, the way computation replaces interpretation, information effaces meaning, and infrastructure displaces interaction. The book asks: what does it take to automate, format, and network meaningful practices; what difference does this make for those who engage in such practices; and what are the stakes? Reciprocally it questions how can we better understand computational processes from the standpoint of meaningful practices; how can we leverage such processes to better understand such practices; and what lies in wait. In answering these questions, this book stays very close to fundamental concerns of computer science as they emerged in the middle part of the twentieth century. Rather than foreground the latest application, technology, or interface, it tries to account for processes that underlie each and every digital technology being deployed today. And rather than use the tools of conventional social theory to investigate such technologies, it leverages key ideas of American pragmatism—a philosophical stance that understands the world, and our relation to it, in a way that avoids many of the conundrums and criticisms of twentieth-century social theory. It puts this stance in dialogue with certain currents and key texts in anthropology and linguistics, science and technology studies, critical theory, computer science, and media studies. Cover 1 Title Page 4 Copyright 5 Dedication 6 Contents 8 List of Figures 10 List of Tables 12 Acknowledgments 14 1. Lines Crossed and Circles Breached 16 1.1. Semiotic Practices and Computational Processes 16 1.2. Lines (and How To Cross Them) 17 1.3. Circles (and How To Breach Them) 24 1.4. The Semiotic Stance 30 1.5. Overview of Chapters 37 2. Enemies, Parasites, and Noise 42 2.1. The Burning of Bridges 42 2.2. Channel, Infrastructure, and Institution 44 2.3. Shannon and Jakobson 48 2.4. Serres and Peirce 51 2.5. Jakobson and Serres 55 2.6. The Proliferation of Parasites 63 2.7. Enclosure, Disclosure, and Value 67 3. Secrecy, Poetry, and Being-​Free 70 3.1. The Structure (and Event) of Networks 70 3.2. Degrees of Freedom 74 3.3. Frames of Relevance, Scales of Resolution 76 3.4. Sense and Sensibility 80 3.5. Enemies and Insecurities 85 3.6. The Poetics of Channels, The Secrets of Infrastructure 88 3.7. Residence without Representation 92 4. Meaning, Information, and Enclosure 96 4.1. From Tracing to Effacing 96 4.2. MacKay’s Account of Information and Meaning 100 4.3. The ‘Value’ of Information 104 4.4. Peirce’s Theory of Meaning 109 4.5. Peirce’s Theory of Information 112 4.6. The Matrix 117 4.7. From the Beautiful to the Sublime 121 5. Materiality, Virtuality, and Temporality 124 5.1. How to Buy Yourself a Night in Minecraft 124 5.2. Why Archeology Is So Hard 126 5.3. Figure and Ground, Grice and Freud 132 5.4. Singularities and Replicas, Qualia and Aura 137 5.5. Deleuze’s Understanding of the Virtual 140 5.6. Peirce’s Understanding of the Virtual 146 5.7. Ontology and Virtuality 150 6. Computation, Interpretation, and Mediation 154 6.1. Sifters and Shifters 154 6.2. Sieving Symbols and Symbolizing Sieves 157 6.3. Linguistic Anthropology in the Age of Language Automata 161 6.4. Kinds of Languages, Kinds of Computers 167 6.5. Universal Grammar and Linguistic Relativity 170 6.6. Virtuality, Happiness, and Secret Roads to Recognition 173 6.7. Intermediation as Topic and Technique 175 7. Algorithms, Agents, and Ontologies 186 7.1. The Sabotaging of Sieves 186 7.2. The Ontology of Spam, Meteorites, and Huckleberry Finn 189 7.3. Ontologies in Transformation, Ontologies of Transformation 193 7.4. Testing Turing 198 7.5. Bayesian Anthropology 201 7.6. Virtuality and Actuality Revisited 206 7.7. Meaning, Mathematics, and Meat 208 Notes 212 References 230 Index 242 This Book Is About Media, Mediation, And Meaning. The Art Of Interpretation Focuses On A Set Of Interrelated Processes Whereby Ostensibly Human-specific Modes Of Meaning Become Automated By Machines, Formatted By Protocols, And Networked By Infrastructures. That Is, As Computation Replaces Interpretation, Information Effaces Meaning, And Infrastructure Displaces Interaction. Or So It Seems. Paul Kockelman Asks: What Does It Take To Automate, Format, And Network Meaningful Practices? What Difference Does This Make For Those Who Engage In Such Practices? And What Is At Stake? Reciprocally: How Can We Better Understand Computational Processes From The Standpoint Of Meaningful Practices? How Can We Leverage Such Processes To Better Understand Such Practices? And What Lies In Wait? In Answering These Questions, Kockelman Stays Very Close To Fundamental Concerns Of Computer Science That Emerged In The First Half Of The Twentieth-century. Rather Than Foreground The Latest Application, Technology Or Interface, He Accounts For Processes That Underlie Each And Every Digital Technology Deployed Today. In A Novel Method, The Art Of Interpretation Leverages Key Ideas Of American Pragmatism-a Philosophical Stance That Understands The World, And Our Relation To It, In A Way That Avoids Many Of The Conundrums And Criticisms Of Conventional Twentieth-century Social Theory. It Puts This Stance In Dialogue With Certain Currents, And Key Texts, In Anthropology And Linguistics, Science And Technology Studies, Critical Theory, Computer Science, And Media Studies. Lines Crossed And Circles Breached -- Enemies, Parasites, And Noise -- Secrecy, Poetry, And Being-free -- Meaning, Information, And Enclosure -- Materiality, Virtuality, And Temporality -- Computation, Interpretation, And Mediation -- Algorithms, Agents, And Ontologies. Paul Kockelman. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. The Art of Interpretation is about media, mediation, and meaning. It focuses on a set of interrelated transformations whereby seemingly human-specific modes of meaning become automated by machines, formatted by protocols, and networked by infrastructures. It analyzes the conditions and consequences of such transformations for selfhood, social relations, and semiosis.