David Kolb's "Socrates in the Labyrinth"
Socrates in the Labyrinth is a philosophical work that questions the epistemology surrounding print-based writing. It is one of a handful of hypertext essays published by Eastgate Systems, Inc. and the only one that focused on the topic of philosophy. It consists of five files: the titular one + four more: Habermas Pyramid, Earth Orbit, Cleavings, and Aristotle’s Argument. Kolb also produced a 6th file called Caged Text (named after the great experimental thinker, John Cage). This one, currently unpublished, was structured around random pages from randomly chosen books from his personal library and linked together by a mix of randomly selected and intentional paths to demonstrate that humans make meaning even under such circumstances.
Critical References
Carbone, Nick. “ Socrates in the Labyrinth: David Kolb Re-Thinks Argument and Philosophy.” Kairos 1.1. Spring 1996. http://kairos.technorhetoric.net/1.1/reviews/carbone/socstart.html
Fenty, Sean. “Sprouting the Line: How Hypertext and Philosophy Meet in David Kolb’s Socrates in the Labyrinth.” Blesok no. 25, March-April, 2002. http://www.blesok.com.mk/tekst_print.asp?lang=eng&tekst=391.
Tosca, Susana Pajares. Hipertulia. “Review of David Kolb’s Socrates in the Labyrinth.” http://pendientedemigracion.ucm.es/info/especulo/hipertul/socrates2.html.