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Contribution to the FIS discussion on information and physics !!!
by Werner Ebeling:

I studied with great interest the points of view discussed so far,
with most of them I agree but not with all of them.
My points are related to Koichiros statements, to Jerrys comments
and to Pedros considerations.

Let me summarize my points of view in brief:

A) On the relation between thermodynamical entropy and informational entropy:

1. Information entropy is the more general concept.

2. Boltzmann-Gibbs entropy which has a thermodynamical meaning is obtained
from Shannons formula, if a special state space (the phase space of coordinates
and momenta) is chosen.

3. Information is a specific binary relation between
two systems, a 'sender' and a 'receiver'. Possibly one is the object and the
other one is the observer (this is important in quantum mechanics).

4. Information is a non-physical quantity. Information transfer is always
connected with energy and entropy flows, the opposite is not true
Wiener is right: information cannot be reduced to
energy or entropy.

5. The quantitative aspect of the information transfer from
sender to receiver (not the pragmatic aspect, not the meaning !),
is measured by the transfer of entropy. \\

6. The amount of energy transfer in information-processing
is in general not relevant, but there exist constraints from physics.

7. Information flow is connected is with the decrease
of uncertainty about the state of a system, or the increase of the
predictability of a future state.

8. The possibility to convert informational entropy into thermodynamic
entropy has been shown in fact already by Maxwell and by Szilard

B) Properties of information and relation between information and life

1. Information can have two basic forms:
- free information, is what is transferred betweem sender and receiver,
- bound information, is a structure which is an actual or potential
  information carrier.

2. Bound information is always connected with with a definite material
structure as e.g. DNA, free information is abstract/symbolic. Free information
is to a high degree independent from the carrier}.

3. Free information is connected with meaning and with goals (Zweck).
This is the pragmatic aspect of information processing.

4. Information can be created by selforganization, it has been
created in the evolution of life.

5. There is no life without information-processing. Information-processing
is a 'conditio sine qua non' for life. Life stars with the ability to
create, to process, to store and to transfer free information.

6. Information-processing systems are either directly bound to life
or they are indirectly connected with living systems, being generated by
living systems.

7. In course of evolution several 'phase transitions' from
bound to free information are observed.

8. The semantic and the pragmatic side of the information
are the most relevant aspects. Meaning and `Zweck' is, what really matters.
However this does not mean, that the other sides (as e.g. the entropy
aspect) do not exist. For physicists is important, that this side
can be described quantitatively.
Received on Wed Jan 14 12:27:51 1998