Buch, Englisch, 136 Seiten, PB, Format (B × H): 148 mm x 210 mm, Gewicht: 204 g
A Tool for Thinking
Buch, Englisch, 136 Seiten, PB, Format (B × H): 148 mm x 210 mm, Gewicht: 204 g
ISBN: 978-3-8440-2719-8
Verlag: Shaker
This book is a road movie: we use information as a vehicle to visit a lot of interesting places.
1. Information as a Measure for Localization
According to Hartley, information is the precision to which an object is localized in some space. Linear economic growth is a system in which information is conserved. Chaotic systems loose information, and the mean loss is a measure for the “strength” of chaos. The distribution of points in some space leads to the de?nition of fractal dimensions. The transition to quantum physics transforms bits into Weizsäcker urs, or q-bits.
2. Efficiency, Hierarchies, and Uncertainty Relations
Efficiency is the gain of information with the growth of a system. In hierarchical modular systems information increases linearly with the size. We present the monetary systems as an example. - Shannon considers the distribution of events instead of objects. A generalization leads to the Fisher metric and the associated uncertainty relations in information theory.
3. Information, Justice, and Income Distribution
A social interaction is called just if the ?ow of information is balanced. This is also the principle for “intuitionistic ethics”. The information contents of an amount of money is related to its logarithm. On this basis we develop a model of a just income distribution. It shows that a basic income can be achieved without limiting the ambition to earn more money. However, the basic income also for babies would drastically change the family structures.
4. Pragmatic Information and Entropy
So far there is only limited connection to values. Therefore we de?ne a “pragmatic information” via a vision or value operator acting on a space of constructs, ideas, etc. Pragmatic information is distributed over various instancies, it is subjective and objective at the same time, and it may be negative (“disinformation”). In a learning system, pragmatic information grows with time. Entropy is the information which we don’t have. The vision operator is mirrored to the Misra operator in the Brussels theory of entropy production.
5. Evolution and Bergsonian Time
The creativity of evolution is due to selection. Its progress is shown as the growth of pragmatic information in time. In a sane system this growth is linear. We interprete pragmatic information as an indicator of Bergsonian time. We deduce an uncertainty relation between Kantian time and Bergsonian time. It entails that presence is the time span during which the change of information is limited.
