Re: Biology, technology and information

Dear all,

Gunter Dubrau (Univ. of Dresden) asked me to give him (you) some more
details concerning Weizsaecker's information concept. Here are some
of the texts (in the German version)
1) "Sprache als Information" (Language as information) is a text
published in 1959 in a book with the title: Die Einheit der Natur
(the unity of nature). W(eiszsaecker) refers here for the first time
(?) to the relationship of information to the concept of form (idea)
in Platon and Aristotle and in Biology
2) "Materie, Energie, Information" (Matter, Energy, Information) 969:
a text also published in the book:TheUnity of Nature. Here you find
the double definition of information:
information is only what can be understood (W. speaks about
"objectivized semantics")
information is only what produces information.
W. asks about the amount of form of an organisms. This can be
answered in two ways:
- information is a big number (DNS-"types" x (multiplied) proteins X
cells)
- information is exactly 2n (i.e. the species or the DNS of the nucleus
of any cell)
in the first case you loose the possibility of understanding, in the
second the individual information
in short: the 'eidos' (or form) belongs to the thing as well as to
the 'soul' (but, only the 'soul' can grasp it as such...)
3) "Information and Imagination" (this is a "popular" paper
published in 1973, with connections to art...)
4) "Der Garten des Menschlichen" (1977) this is W. philosophical
antropology. You can find here the idea that information is related
to a receiver (organ or instrument) i.e. "under a concept" ( the word
concept refers here to any structure, not only to consciousness)
5) "Aufbau der Physik" (1981) (The Structure of Physics). This is a
comprehensive book on physics, where W. refers to the concept of
information as developed in 1969 (Mater, Energy, I.). He relates the
concept of "decisions" as belonging to the determination of form (the
number of decisions related to the form of an object),
"understanding" is a concept used now not only to designate a
conscious process, but an objective effect on a living being or a
machine. Matter has a form, consciousness recognizes it, matter is a
way a form shines (comes forth)... etc. the whole chapter is full of
ideas and end with the question of time as horizon of being (in
response to some ideas by the philosopher Georg Picht).
6) "Wahrnehmung der Neuzeit" (1983) (Perception of Modernity): here you can find some hints on
evolution and the concept of an objective information concept.
7) "Der Mensch und seine Geschichte" (Humanity and its history)
(1991) where W. refers to the eidos-philosophy of Plato's Timaios.
8) "Zeit und Wissen" (Time and Knowledge) (1992) a very comprehensive
book, where W. refers to "Matter, Energy and I." (1969) as well as to
"Aufbau der Physik" (1981). He asks: What does Form/Gestalt mean in
Physics? What is the relationship between Form and Time? and to
consciousness? and between Time and Knowledge? do we come back to
eidos-philosophy (Plato)?

Well this is very short what I can tell you about W.'s concept(s) of
information. You will surely find many relations to our present
discussions (think for instance the problems of information and time
(and consciousness) as raised by Koichiro (and others). We should not
forget, that we had this century a strong questioning (by philosphers
such as Karl Popper) of "essences". But this should not mislead us to
through away the question itself (in German: das Kind mit dem Bade
aussch|tten: to through out the baby with the bath-water). Of course
we (?) are not any "essential" thinkers in the sense of timeless
(and divine) essences. But we cannot do even a small step in thinking
without having any kind of "forms" in mind, don't you think?
Your question concerning W. and Kant: you will find several hints to
Kant in W.'s writings. Kant's philosophy (which is a kind of
constructivism) rests upon the idea that the forms 'a priori' in our
cognition are 'the condition of possibility' of the (forms of the)
things we grasp (not of the things themselves, as we are not their
creators...)
You ask if I know some practical applications of considerations
coming from information science. Well as far as I can see Shannon
and Weaver is part of this story, but also the new paradigm of
biology 'you' are trying to introduce by changing the language of
biology introducing new concepts, analogies, metaphors etc.
kind regards
rafael

 
Received on Tue Mar 24 23:42:54 1998