Re: [Fis] A definition of Information

At 08.39 12/2/04 -0500, you wrote:
>Dear FISers:
>Please critique this "definition" of information:
>Information is that property of a thing which conveys meaning about that
>thing to at least another thing.
>
>I do recognize that there is repetition of the term "thing" in this
>definition.
>Syed Ali

Dear Syed and colleagues,

There is an interesting 'dualism' in your approach --and in the very use of
the 'thing' term-- that perhaps was lost in Stan's monistic cult to that
destruction Goddess (wasn't Kali the oriental deity in charge of bringing
destruction to the world?). My own monistic preference is devoted to Oknos,
the egipcian cult for the 'rope-maker', the creator of structure in the
world. However, I recognize that without Kali's intervention the world
would be a monotonous place of everlasting unchangeable structures; but
even worse the viceversa, of course. About this very theme, there was an
interesting essay by philosopher Ortega y Gasset connecting the workings of
the two divinal characters. In our times, however, we would have to
introduce a third deity at least, looking to the new cosmological data on
the cosmic prevalence of 'dark matter' and 'dark energy' (in a relationship
of 20 to 1 regarding conventional matter and energy). Otherwise, without
the 'dark' agency, neither Oknos nor Kali could have done their opposing jobs.

Going back to the 'dualism', conflating the two directions of information
under the same term may not be a good idea. It is what Bateson did, for
instance, with his use of the 'difference' term (the difference which makes
a difference). Conversely, I much like the call to 'meaning' in your
tentative conceptualization. Overall, around the term of info we have to
think on a factual 'cluster' of concepts with classical and new elements
together.

So, reminding views espoused a couple of years ago in this list by Karl and
by Abir, I would attempt a statement on info such as 'the pattern that
implies a distinction' (pattern for the outside 'physicalist' happenstance;
distinction for the cognizing 'self-producing' occurrence inside, which may
be meaningful, or meaningless). Currently we have been exploring the
inside, the meaning.

best

Pedro

  at the inside

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Received on Fri Feb 20 15:06:50 2004