Wikiversity talk:Multiversity

From Wikiversity

[edit] Free multiversity or diversity

We could also use the term "free diversity" in place of "free multiversity". That is a rather powerful statement: Wikpedia is a free diversity. Reswik 12:26, 19 August 2006 (UTC)

Jargon: "multiversity" etc....I suggest that the mission statement be crafted for outside observers who are looking in at Wikiversity. The statement should be easy to understand by OUTSIDERS without them having to consult a glossary. --JWSchmidt 12:43, 19 August 2006 (UTC)

OK: you are correct about avoiding jargon for general statement purposes. university or diversity would work better in this context. i think we should consider defining and using multiversity as one concept introduced in a longer vision statement. Reswik 13:21, 19 August 2006 (UTC)

I don't get it, sorry. 'University' is using the word 'universitas', which means the whole, total, universe, world [1]. What can more inclusive than that?? Using a word like Multiversity brings the connotation of multiple unconnected things, which is the wrong picture for people to get, IMO Awolf002 16:24, 19 August 2006 (UTC)

Multiversity in part can be a concept about multiple interacting networks with some things in common. University means one but there are many types of university and scholar communities active on the web. One of the aims of suggesting the concept of multiversity is to create a space to welcome and invite large scholarly projects with differing authority structures, different education methods and perhaps with differing interpretations of basic values (within and without wikiversity space) to develop in dialog and collaboration. If and how to structure that is a long discussion that probably needs its own page. Reswik 03:05, 20 August 2006 (UTC)

interesting problem.... the word "university: is understandable but does indeed immediately connote harvard, uc berkeley and ut austin as well as the whole power-structure (and totallizing knowledge hierarchy?) we are trying to get out of (and which many folks, increasingly, can't afford to get inside of). i tend to think that if the word "multiversity" is comprehensible to outsiders, then it's preferable. is there any way to test this out? --Smithgrrl 03:30, 20 August 2006 (UTC)

i agree, thx. and, hmm, to test the concept: perhaps we could have a survey such as...

Do you think multiversity sounds like:

a. a new world fusion jazz band

b. a speculative physics theory

c. a brand of sports underwear

d. a new flexible kind of large education network

seriously though -- i think with some exposition (such as in one version of a possible vision statement) that the idea of multiversity could express well in a word some of the existing goals of wikiversity and its growth potential. Reswik 04:55, 20 August 2006 (UTC)