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Re: Information

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Posted by Benjamin Nelson on February 5, 2001 17:22:42 UTC

Milton:

Some scientists argue that if you admit Information as another fundamental, along with mass and energy, then quantum theory can be viewed in a subtly different light. And in this supposed light, not only are conscious observers superfluous, but Information does not even require artificial observers like photographic emulsions or photoelectric cells.

Still, it strains the powers of reason to think of Information in this way; Information is used to describe the universe, it is not commonly thought of as being part of the universe itself. Indeed, we think of matter and energy as fundamentals -- we can feel the heft of a rock or the jolt of electricity. Information seems subjective. Yet why should what we know through our bodies be more fundamental that what we know though our brains? In the end, we only know about matter and energy through the signals sent by our senses -- charged ions carrying electrochemical signals through our nervous systems.

But in viewing Information in this way, our role as informational spiders, stinging and restringing our conceptual webs, is as natural as anything in the cosmos. The difference is that we try and set ourselves apart from the universe and pretend to see it whole. But we are inevitably a part of what we are observing, and our observations may be but a single circuit in a great web of flowing Information.

B. L. Nelson
Benjamin_Nelson@WPBA.pbs.org

Follow Ups:

Re: Re: information - alexander - February 5, 2001 - 17:48 UTC
- Re: Re: Re: information - blnelsonusa - February 5, 2001 - 19:33 UTC
  - Re: Re: Re: Re: information - alexander - February 5, 2001 - 20:41 UTC
    - Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: information - blnelsonusa - February 5, 2001 - 20:44 UTC
      - The way science work. - alexander - February 5, 2001 - 21:19 UTC
        
        Re: The way science work. - skintless - February 5, 2001 - 22:51 UTC
        
        Re: Re: The way science work. - bruce - February 6, 2001 - 05:32 UTC
        
        Re: Re: Re: The way science work. - skintless - February 6, 2001 - 15:15 UTC
        
        The way science work. - alexander - February 6, 2001 - 15:45 UTC
        
        Re: The way science work. - skintless - February 7, 2001 - 00:28 UTC
        
        And the way it does not. - alexander - February 7, 2001 - 05:07 UTC

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