2.9. Information technology

The creation of SST's systemic parameterisation and the discovery of appropriate sociological statistics enable TetraSociological pluralism to switch from theory to technology, from rationalism to practice. TetraSociology has practical application in two kinds of technology: informational and sociocultural; the first is part of the latter. Let us review them briefly.

Today, as Castells showed, information technologies (IT) have become the most efficient instruments for the modern social world's development. o­nly when sociological theory gets realised through IT, will it have practical application in the world. Sociology has long been looking for an appropriate mathematic-algorithmic apparatus, which alone can promote sociology's technologization and its juncture with IT. However, the problem of sociology's mathematization, posed by Comte, has not been solved yet. The question "Can sociology speak the language of mathematics?" is still unanswered[1]. And not by chance. When it is not clear what exactly should be counted up, what indices, no mathematical apparatus can help. Therefore, so long as sociology does not have its own indices, it will never acquire a mathematical apparatus and become a technology. There have been attempts to introduce mathematics into sociology, in particular through social space's definite-dimensionality[2]. There are attempts of technologizing sociology through economic indices. However, these attempts reduce sociology to econometrics[3].

Those examples of sociology's technologization have the brightest prospects which define sociology-specific, substantive quanta of information (indices) based o­n any classification or parameterisation. TetraSociology is o­ne such example. Another o­ne - Hornung's Sociocybernetic theory. It provides a social world's multidimensional, substantive classification outlined above, which EU and Germany use as the foundation for IT security systems[4]. It is o­nly o­n the basis of a multidimensional (pluralistic!) classification that sociocybernetic/sociological theory turns into a technology.

The sphere indices system allows us to overcome the mentioned drawbacks. It ensures TetraSociology's technologization. This technologization rests o­n four bases, incorporates them.

The first basis is sociological. It is represented by SST's 20 variable constants explored above: PIOT, PDEC, SIOT, PDDD, HIOM.

The second basis is statistical. It is represented by the system of sphere/sociological statistical indices, denoting variable constants of resources, processes, structures, states. The sphere indices system is explored above too.

The third basis is mathematical/algorithmic. It is represented by the blocks of algorithms of sphere indices transformation, listed above, which are adapted for various programming tasks: 1.For programming tasks of social statics, dynamics, structuratics, genetics. Hence the appropriate programming blocks. 2.For applied programming tasks. Hence the appropriate "programming products" (PP) or "packages of applied programs" (PAP).

The fourth basis is programming. It is represented by a set of programming blocks and PPs, constituting a new information technology, known as Sphere/Sociological Informational-Statistic Technology (SIST). SIST is a statistical technology for forming, transforming and utilising sphere/sociological indices system. SIST is no less than TetraSociology's programming level. It is presented in programs written in machine languages and computer-"readable." Programming products are presented o­n magnet carriers: disks, diskettes, etc. SIST is a family of various PPs. Let us mention its chief groups.

1. PP SIST "Individual" is intended for the harmonisation of an individual's development and his general employment through time indices with defined resources levels and for different ages.
2. PP SIST "Family" is intended for the harmonisation of family development, the family's general employment, family relationships, way and the level of family life through the indices of time and cost.
3. PP SIST "Specialist" is intended for different professionals dealing with various kinds of social information.
4. Other possible SIST PPs: "Office" (Governmental, Corporate, International), "Country," "World society," "Environment," etc. It should be emphasised that SIST has an immense potential for the development of principle new Internet search systems o­n the basis of the qualitatively new classification of Internet resources. (In 1980-1988 years the sphere technology SIST was inculcated by me in " Automated System of Planned Accounts " municipal economies, into its such subsystems as: " Standard of living of city population "," Public health Services "," Culture "," Paid services in city "," Manufacture of the consumer goods " and others. For the more detailed list of its applications since 1980, see in Appendices.)

What is the SIST's main difference? Traditional ITs in use today, such as Microsoft, Netscape, Norton, etc., although indisputably important, can transform only forms of information, its carriers, storage and transmission vehicles, etc. SIST is qualitatively different because it transforms the content of social information and controls it owing to a combination in the sphere indices of universal qualitative/sociological and quantitative/statistical parameters, which makes SIST unique as well as global. Traditional technologies deal with o­nly quantitative and limited information: they do not control the content of it. SIST allows us to systematise, compress, select, classify, evaluate, compare, and control the content of any social information, with regards to any co-phenomenon, from an individual to world society. Such a technology is unmatched.

New empirical and pragmatic results can be obtained with TetraSociological statistics and technology. Sphere indices and the appropriate technology (SIST), enabling us to express many co-phenomena of different levels in new indices and calculation formulas, create a qualitatively new empirical basis for TetraSociology, a basis, which is adequate to the scale of sociology and overcomes limitedness of sociology's economic and polling empiricism. This neoempiricism, adequate to sociology, does not cancel the economic statistics' and sociological polls' traditional empiricism, but is built over and supplements it. TetraSociology's neoempiricism allows for the integration of macro- and micro-research approaches to studying the entirety of socium o­n all its levels. New sociological indices and new technology prevent TetraSociology from turning into a "purely intellectual game". They provide TetraSociology with empirical substantiation, and practical relevance. In the TetraSociological system of coordinates and constants, as it seems, we can theoretically investigate many phenomena from the individual to the social world, while their description with SIST sphere indices provides a new quantitative and empirical information about them. Arguably, TetraSociology's information technology exemplifies also sociology's new, technological pragmatism, which is adequate for a new, information society. In 5-7 years from now, this technology, which produces radically new information, may create thousands of new jobs and a new programming products world market with billions of dollars of turnover. Certainly, this is but a hypothesis, but it is not groundless. The transition from information to sociocultural technology lies through description of the model of the individual and society spheres, and through pointing out sphere classes as actors of social harmony.

[1] Tolstova J.N. Can "to talk" the Sociology in Language of Mathematics? // Sociological studies, 2000, № 5, p.113.

[2] Mostovay I.V., Ugolnitski G.A. Social Space: Heuristics of Mathematical Modelling // Sociological studies, 1999, № 3, p.21-26. However, hardly it is possible to agree with that statement of the authors, that the social space " represents usual numerical space " (p.26), as last does not express just social feature first, which can be expressed o­nly by adequate parameters, instead of it is simple by numbers.

[3] Davudov A.A., Churakov A.N. The modular analysis and modelling of socium. Moscow. 2000

[4] Hornung, Bernd and Adilova, Fatima. Ibid.