Diagramming as a Way of Thinking Ecologically

Abstract

Diagrams are frequently used to communicate relationships between multiple dimensions of quantitative information. Attempts are usually made to simplify complex information and to reduce to a minimum the elements considered. Here I will discuss a different breed of diagrams: one that addresses the increasing need to confront complex issues in all their complexity, and that, more than serving to communicate already existing ideas, would serve to explore new ways of organizing knowledge. Several educational and cultural implications of this conception are discussed.