Hypertext as method

Abstract

Historically, there has been a tendency to consider hypertext as a type of system, perhaps characterized by provision of links or other structure to users. In this paper, we consider hypertext as a method of inquiry, a way of viewing arbitrary systems. In this view, what are traditionally called “navigational hypertext systems” might be considered as information retrieval systems, “spatial hypertext systems” as brainstorming systems, etc., while their “hypertext” nature results from the way in which such systems are conceived, developed, and/or presented. The benefit of such a shift is the ability to apply this hypertextual method of inquiry to systems not normally considered part of the hypertext community. In this paper, we specifically apply this view to artificial intelligence, and examine how this application can be productive.