The Evolutionary Dynamics of Discursive Knowledge: Communication-Theoretical Perspectives on an Empirical Philosophy of Science

This open access book have three themes have been central to Leydesdorff's research: (1) the dynamics of science, technology, and innovation; (2) the scientometric operationalization of these concept; and (3) the elaboration in terms of a Triple Helix of university-industry-government relations. In this study, I discuss the relations among these themes. Using Luhmann's social-systems theory for modelling meaning processing and Shannon's theory for information processing, I show that synergy can add new options to an innovation system as redundancy. The capacity to develop new options is more important for innovation than past performance. Entertaining a model of possible future states makes a knowledge-based system increasingly anticipatory. The trade-off between the incursion of future states on the historical developments can be measured using the Triple-Helix synergy indicator. This is shown, for example, for the Italian national and regional systems of innovation.

Knowledge-Based Innovations and Social Coordination -- The Communication Perspective as an Empirical Philosophy of Science -- Scientific Communication and Cognitive Codification -- The Semantics of Shannon-type Information -- Relations, Positions, and Perspectives on Innovation -- Synergy in a Triple Helix of University-Industry-Government Relations -- Regions, Innovations, and the North-South Divide in Italy -- Horizons of Meaning in Anticipatory Systems -- The Generation of Redundancy against the Arrow of Time -- Codification and Anticipation in Techno-Cultural Evolutions -- Inter-Human Communications and the Possibility of Science -- Subject Index -- Author Index -- Bibliography.