THE WEB ESSAY: EXPLORING ARGUMENTS

STAKING A CLAIM

Philosopher David Kolb created a hypertext essay collection in STORYSPACE entitled Socrates in the Labyrinth: Hypertext, Argument, Philosophy in which he explores how hypertext may inspire philosophers to discover new ways of writing philosophy. In a print essay discussing similar issues, "Socrates in the Labyrinth," Kolb responds to his own question, "Can a philosophical hypertext make claims?"

What kind of work could such hypertexts accomplish? A text can still make a claim on you even if it does not support a particular proposition or present a particular abstract structure of argument. The text could claim your acknowledgement (for example, that this question or option is live, that this is who you are, that this is where we live, that these are connected, that there are more possibilities here than you thought, or that something you wanted to do or say is impossible), or make connections (giving "takes" on a subject, evoking atmosphere, exploring a landscape). Is a net of connections a claim? A suit to try on? A terrain to explore? Claims need not be single propositions within argumentative lines. They can be demonstrated in more ways than by argument. I can demonstrate a machine, a technique, a concept, by showing it in action. Exploration can claim territory, making us acknowledge that more lies beyond the horizon or convincing us that there is no gold in those particular hills. These acknowledgements we may report to ourselves with a proposition, but the text may not focus on stating or supporting that proposition.

It is significant that, even after centuries, dispute continues about what claims are made by the most classic of philosophy texts. The enduring significance of the works of Plato, Aristotle, Kant, and Hegel does not rest on our ability to locate their claims definitively but on the works' having opened up new territory for thought. Questions outlast the answers with which they first came, and hypertext is very good for asking questions. (340)

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