As We May Think

E17

essay non-fiction work

As We May Think is a seminal 1945 essay by Vannevar Bush that envisioned hypertext-like information systems and profoundly influenced the development of modern computing and the internet.

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All labels observed (5)

Label	Occurrences
Memex	3
As We May Think canonical	2
The Memex	1
Vannevar Bush's Memex concept	1
memex	1

How this entity was disambiguated

This entity first appeared as the object of triple T18 — resolving that mention is where its identity was fixed. The disambiguator weighed these candidate entities and picked the highlighted one (or “None”, minting a new entity). This is how homonymy is resolved: the same surface form can point to different entities.

NED1 Entity disambiguation (via context triple) gpt-5-mini-2025-08-07

Target entity: As We May Think
Context triple: [Vannevar Bush, notableWork, As We May Think]

A. Science, The Endless Frontier
Science, The Endless Frontier is a landmark 1945 report by Vannevar Bush that laid the foundation for U.S. federal support of scientific research and the modern science policy framework.
B. Differential analyzer
The Differential Analyzer is an early analog mechanical computer designed to solve differential equations using interconnected rotating shafts and wheels.
C. Vannevar Bush
American electrical engineer and science administrator (1890~1974)
D. Ted Nelson
Ted Nelson is an American pioneer of information technology best known for coining the term "hypertext" and envisioning non-linear, interconnected digital documents.
E. Douglas Engelbart
Douglas Engelbart was an American engineer and inventor best known for pioneering the computer mouse and groundbreaking concepts in interactive computing and hypertext that helped shape modern personal computing.
F. None of above. chosen
G. Unsure - the case is ambiguous/there is not enough information to decide.

NED2 Entity disambiguation (via description) gpt-5-mini-2025-08-07

Target entity: As We May Think
Target entity description: As We May Think is a seminal 1945 essay by Vannevar Bush that envisioned hypertext-like information systems and profoundly influenced the development of modern computing and the internet.

A. Science, The Endless Frontier
Science, The Endless Frontier is a landmark 1945 report by Vannevar Bush that laid the foundation for U.S. federal support of scientific research and the modern science policy framework.
B. Differential analyzer
The Differential Analyzer is an early analog mechanical computer designed to solve differential equations using interconnected rotating shafts and wheels.
C. Vannevar Bush
American electrical engineer and science administrator (1890~1974)
D. Ted Nelson
Ted Nelson is an American pioneer of information technology best known for coining the term "hypertext" and envisioning non-linear, interconnected digital documents.
E. Douglas Engelbart
Douglas Engelbart was an American engineer and inventor best known for pioneering the computer mouse and groundbreaking concepts in interactive computing and hypertext that helped shape modern personal computing.
F. None of above. chosen

Statements (47)

Predicate	Object
instanceOf	essay ⓘ non-fiction work ⓘ
addresses	information overload ⓘ memory augmentation ⓘ postwar scientific research ⓘ
aimsTo	enhance human intellect with machines ⓘ improve access to scientific knowledge ⓘ
author	Vannevar Bush ⓘ
countryOfOrigin	United States of America ⓘ surface form: United States
describes	As We May Think self-linksurface differs ⓘ surface form: Memex
firstPublishedDate	July 1945 ⓘ
form	prose ⓘ
genre	science and technology essay ⓘ
hasLegacy	cited in histories of the internet ⓘ inspired research on interactive computing ⓘ
hasSection	As We May Think self-linksurface differs ⓘ surface form: The Memex Wholly New Forms of Encyclopedias ⓘ
historicalContext	World War II ⓘ
influenced	Douglas Engelbart ⓘ J. C. R. Licklider ⓘ Ted Nelson ⓘ human-computer interaction ⓘ hypertext ⓘ information science ⓘ personal computing ⓘ the internet ⓘ
length	long-form magazine article ⓘ
mainTopic	information retrieval ⓘ information technology ⓘ knowledge organization ⓘ scientific research ⓘ
notableConcept	As We May Think self-linksurface differs ⓘ surface form: Memex associative trails ⓘ hypertext-like linking ⓘ
originalLanguage	English ⓘ
proposes	associative indexing ⓘ mechanized personal library ⓘ trails of association ⓘ
publicationYear	1945 ⓘ
publishedIn	The Atlantic Monthly ⓘ
publisher	The Atlantic Monthly ⓘ surface form: The Atlantic Monthly Company
recognizedAs	foundational text in information science ⓘ seminal work in computing history ⓘ
targetAudience	engineers ⓘ general educated public ⓘ scientists ⓘ
timePeriodDescribed	future of science after World War II ⓘ

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (8)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Vannevar Bush → notableWork → As We May Think ⓘ

Vannevar Bush → notableIdea → As We May Think ⓘ

this entity surface form: memex

As We May Think → describes → As We May Think self-linksurface differs ⓘ

this entity surface form: Memex

As We May Think → notableConcept → As We May Think self-linksurface differs ⓘ

this entity surface form: Memex

As We May Think → hasSection → As We May Think self-linksurface differs ⓘ

this entity surface form: The Memex

Project Xanadu → influencedBy → As We May Think ⓘ

this entity surface form: Memex

Wholly New Forms of Encyclopedias → partOf → As We May Think ⓘ

Xanadu hypertext system → influencedBy → As We May Think ⓘ

this entity surface form: Vannevar Bush's Memex concept

All labels observed (5)

How this entity was disambiguated Show

Statements (47)

How these facts were elicited Show

Referenced by (8)

How this entity was disambiguated

How these facts were elicited