Emergent Information: A Unified Theory of Information Framework

Description

At the dawn of the information age, a proper understanding of information and how it relates to matter and energy is of utmost importance for the survival of civilisation. Yet, attempts to reconcile information concepts underlying science and technology with those en vogue in social science, humanities, and arts are rather rare. This book offers a new approach, departing from fragmented information concepts. Many academics refrain from undergoing unifications, as most undertakings are reductionistic. This book contends that it is the noble task of an as-yet-to-be-developed science of information to go one step in the direction of a unified theory of information without falling back into neither reduction nor anthropomorphisation. To be able to succeed in an ambitious task like this, the book advocates the application of complex systems theory and its philosophical underpinnings. Information needs to be interpreted in terms of self-organisation to do justice to the richness of its manifestations. The way the book does so will provide the reader with a deep insight into a basic feature of our world. The following are discussed in the volume: A Science of Information; A New Way of Thinking; Praxio-Onto-Epistemology; Evolutionary Systems Design; Evolutionary Systems Ontology; Evolutionary Systems Methodology; Capurro's Information Concept Trilemma; A Multi-Stage Model of Evolutionary Types of Information: Pattern Formation, Code-Making, and Constituting Sense; A Triple-C Model of Systemic Functions of Information: Cognising, Communicating, and Co-Operating; Nine Categories of Information Capabilities: Reflectivity (physical), Psyche (biotic), Consciousness (human); Connectivity (physical), Signalability (biotic), Languageability (human); Cohesiveness (physical), Coherency (biotic), Communitarity (human); Nine Categories of Information: Response (physical), Flexible Response (biotic), Reflexion (human); Correspondences (physical), Signals (biotic), Symbolic Acts (human); Assemblage (physical), Assignment (biotic), Association (human); A Unified Theory of Information for, about, and by means of the Information Society. Preface ............................................................................................................................... v List of Tables .................................................................................................................... xi List of Figures ................................................................................................................. xiii Part 1 Towards a Science of Information ..................................................................................... 1 Chapter 1 The Dawn of a Science of Information .............................................................................. 3 1.1 In the Tower of Babel ............................................................................................ 5 1.1.1 The rise and fall of "information" ............................................................... 5 1.1.2 At the chaos point........................................................................................ 8 1.1.2.1 Disciplinary attempts ....................................................................... 8 1.1.2.2 Transdisciplinary attempts ............................................................. 10 1.2 After the Information Revolution is Before the Information Revolution ............ 15 1.3 Adding to the Critical Mass ................................................................................. 21 1.3.1 "Normal science" information studies aims, scope, and tools .................... 23 1.3.1.1 Technocracy versus ivory tower .................................................... 24 1.3.1.2 Reification versus deconstruction .................................................. 25 1.3.1.3 Reductionism versus projectivism and disjunctivism .................... 27 1.3.2 A Science of Information paradigm .......................................................... 29 1.3.2.1 Ensuring futurability ...................................................................... 30 1.3.2.2 Catching the ephemeral ................................................................. 31 1.3.2.3 Taking the blind men's perspective................................................ 33 Part 2 Steps To a Unified Theory of Information ....................................................................... 35 Emergent Information Downloaded from www.worldscientific.com by 93.179.89.93 on 10/22/16. For personal use only. viii Emergent Information Chapter 2 A New Weltanschauung ................................................................................................... 37 2.1 A New Philosophy .............................................................................................. 38 2.1.1 A new way of thinking .............................................................................. 39 2.1.1.1 Reductionism .................................................................................. 41 2.1.1.2 Projectivism .................................................................................... 43 2.1.1.3 Disjunctivism ................................................................................. 44 2.1.1.4 Integrativism................................................................................... 44 2.1.2 A new concept of practice–reality–method ............................................... 47 2.2 A New Cross-Disciplinary Paradigm ................................................................... 55 Chapter 3 Nudges ............................................................................................................................. 61 3.1 A Fresh Perspective on Human Strategies ........................................................... 62 3.1.1 Practicism .................................................................................................. 63 3.1.2 Utopianism, Romanticism ......................................................................... 64 3.1.3 Inactivism .................................................................................................. 65 3.1.4 Deliberate activism .................................................................................... 65 3.2 Dealing with Complexity .................................................................................... 72 3.2.1 Cybernetics, informatics ............................................................................ 73 3.2.2 Magical thinking ....................................................................................... 75 3.2.3 Laissez-faire .............................................................................................. 76 3.2.4 Evolutionary Systems Design ................................................................... 76 Chapter 4 Chaosmic Metasystem Transitions and Suprasystem Hierarchies ................................... 81 4.1 A Fresh Perspective on the Real World Image ...................................................... 81 4.1.1 Preformationism, atomism ........................................................................ 82 4.1.2 Teleologism, holism .................................................................................. 85 4.1.3 Indeterminism ........................................................................................... 86 4.1.4 Less-than-strict determinism ..................................................................... 86 4.2 At Home in Complexity ........................................................................................ 95 4.2.1 Evolutionism, modularism ........................................................................ 96 4.2.1.1 Evolutionism .................................................................................. 97 4.2.1.2 Modularism .................................................................................... 99 4.2.2 Creationism, structuralism/functionalism ................................................ 100 4.2.2.1 Creationism .................................................................................. 100 4.2.2.2 Structuralism, functionalism ......................................................... 102 4.2.3 Spontaneism ............................................................................................ 102 4.2.4 Evolutionary Systems Ontology .............................................................. 102 4.2.4.1 Chaosmic complexity ................................................................... 103 Emergent Information Downloaded from www.worldscientific.com by 93.179.89.93 on 10/22/16. For personal use only. Contents ix 4.2.4.2 Emergent dynamics ...................................................................... 106 4.2.4.3 Contingent trajectories.................................................................. 107 4.2.4.4 Path-dependent nestedness ........................................................... 115 Chapter 5 The Adjacent Necessary ................................................................................................ 125 5.1 A Fresh Perspective on Comprehension ............................................................ 125 5.1.1 Scientism ................................................................................................. 126 5.1.2 Anthroposociomorphism ......................................................................... 130 5.1.3 Irrationalism ............................................................................................ 131 5.1.4 Reflexive Rationalism ............................................................................. 131 5.2 Grasping Complexity ........................................................................................ 139 5.2.1 Empiricism .............................................................................................. 140 5.2.2 Cabalistics ............................................................................................... 142 5.2.3 Narrativism ............................................................................................. 142 5.2.4 Evolutionary Systems Methodology ....................................................... 142 Chapter 6 Objects are Subjects are Objects… Reflections in a Creative Universe ........................ 147 6.1 Dissolving Capurro's Trilemma ......................................................................... 148 6.1.1 Synonymism ............................................................................................ 151 6.1.2 Analogism ............................................................................................... 151 6.1.3 Equivocalism ........................................................................................... 152 6.1.4 Historical and logical conceptualism ....................................................... 152 6.2 Emergent Information ....................................................................................... 168 6.2.1 Evolutionary types of reflection: the Multi-Stage Model ......................... 173 6.2.1.1 Pattern formation ......................................................................... 177 6.2.1.2 Code-making................................................................................ 179 6.2.1.3 The constitution of sense ............................................................. 182 6.2.2 Reflective systemic functions: the Triple-C Model .................................. 184 6.2.2.1 Cognition .................................................................................... 187 6.2.2.2 Communication .......................................................................... 190 6.2.2.3 Co-operation ............................................................................... 193 6.2.3 The universe of information .................................................................... 196 6.2.3.1 Constructs for reality: from response to flexible response to reflexion .................................................................................... 200 6.2.3.2 Constructing common ground: from correspondences to signals to symbolic acts ............................................................. 211 6.2.3.3 Constructive synergy: from assemblage to assignment to association ................................................................................. 222 Emergent Information Downloaded from www.worldscientific.com by 93.179.89.93 on 10/22/16. For personal use only. x Emergent Information Part 3 Towards a Science for, about, and via the Information Society ..................................... 235 Chapter 7 A Global Sustainable Information Society ..................................................................... 237 7.1 Globalisation: The Emergence of World Society and its Brain ........................... 242 7.2 Sustainabilisation: Friction Mitigation – The Hidden Agenda of the Information Revolution ....................................................................................... 246 7.3 Informationalisation: ICTs for Collective Intelligence ........................................ 251 Bibliography .................................................................................................................. 257 Index .............................................................................................................................. 271