physics and information

Dear Jerry and Koichiro

I think it is worth noting that the measurement problem in quantum
dynamics is tied to the irreversablity and arrow of time in
thermodynamics as every act in the material world produces heat and then
irreversable change free energy to entrophy energy.

This is an important key to "the collaps of the wave function".
Something irreversable is introduced in the wonderfull eternal picture
of mechanics and that is beyound mechanical understanding. But it is in
this same measurement process that real information is created.The wave
function is a theoretical idealised picture. So in my opinion - also in
physics - information is only "out there" as potentiality. It is
manifested only by measurement.

One can then discuss how to define measurement. My general answer would
be that it takes an autopoietic and semiotic system to make
measurements. So there is no information content of population one.
That question does not give scientific meaning, as already Kant would
have told us. Information is a relative concept. Only those differences
that makes a difference becomes information.

Venlig hilsen/Best wishes

Søren Brier

Assoc. prof. Royal School of Librarianship, Aalborg Branch
Langagervej 4, DK-9220 Aalborg øst. Denmark.
Telephone: +45 98157922 Fax: +4598151042
Homepage. http://www.db.dk/dbaa/sbr/home_uk.htm
Ed. & Publ. of Cybernetics & Human Knowing
Homepage: http://www.db.dk/dbaa/sbr/cyber.htm
Received on Tue Jan 13 17:51:34 1998