Details

Socrates in the Labyrinth: Hypertext, Argument, Philosophy  collects on one disk five hypertext essays written with STORYSPACE. My disks arrived in a small, pocketed folder and included two disks. One contained a demo version of STORYSPACE, which includes a tutorial and sample hypertexts. I skipped the tutorial and dove directly into Kolb's work, all of which is contained on the other disk. A short handbook on how to use STORYSPACE (Getting Started With Storyspace ) as well as a nine page booklet which provides an overview of Kolb's work are also included. I flipped through the two documents, using the shorter booklet's quick directions on installation of the disks as Linus' blanket for doing what I've done so often (dragging files to folders on the Mac desktop). I chose to dive directly into Kolb's title essay. However, on reviewing the booklet for the writing of this informational page, I do notice there's a useful little piece by Kolb, "Some Words of Orientation," which lays out what his central essay--"Socrates in the Labyrinth"-- is doing in form and purpose, and how the four other essays are meant to compliment that. In addition to the title essay, with which this review primarily concerns itself, Kolb also offers:
  1. "Habermas Pyramid," a linear essay that is accentuated with a "multi-level pyramidal hypertext outline" (8).
  2. "Earth Orbit," which presents "statements of linear argument...ordered in multiple cycles and epicylces" (9).
  3. "Cleavings," which combines "four classic but diverse texts" (9) and makes a comparison of their hypertext form to their linear form.
  4. "Aristotle Essay" which takes a "complex argument from Aristotle" (9) and puts it into the 'mixed form' explored in "Socrates in the Labyrinth."


You can also access more information about this hypertext by following one of the three links to Eastgate Systems given below. These are one way links; to return to this essay from any of the Eastgate links, you will have to use the 'go back' command on your web browser.


Back to Where you left off before coming to this page.

Return to start of review of Socrates in the Labyrinth

Address your comments to Nick Carbone at nickc@marlboro.edu