[Fis] Fwd: Re: Concluding the Lecture?

[joe.brenner at bluewin.ch]

Dear Pedro, Dear FISers,

	Terrence Deacon has made a passionate plea for the proper consideration of his approach to information science that his contribution merits. But this consideration is only possible if he is willing to accept that some of his positions may be contaminated with assumptions in a way that he correctly criticizes in others. As a specific example, we can all easily understand and agree that the incorporation of ‘homunculi’, that is, unproven mechanisms, as explanatory, should be avoided. In my view, however, Terry has a small army of homunculi at work (sic!) who insure that his processes of self-organization, self-reconstitution and ‘spontaneous’ self-assembly can take place! The finality of using his simulated autogenic systems is “a rigorous physical foundation upon which” future complex theories of information may be based. If, as I contend, Terry’s approach has failed to take into account the fundamentally dualistic physical properties of real systems, it is hard to see how it could do so.   

In his reply to Loet, regarding cognitive processes, Terry writes: “As I have said a number of times, my goal is not to deal with all aspects of the information concept, and certainly not at the level of human thought. I merely propose to dissolve the implicit dualism in our current concepts at the most basic level, so that for example it will be possible to develop a scientifically grounded theory of molecular biosemiotics.” No-one can argue with his first sentence, but the second has the implication that dualism at the most basic level in concepts should be absent when it is present in reality. Again, we can all reject the straw-man of mind-body dualism. But the dualisms that do exist in nature must be reflected in concepts or the latter are outside nature and outside science. The pair presence-absence is one of these that I have offered, so far without comment, as one of these. 

As a substitute for what is referred to as ‘the implicit dualism in our current concepts’, Terry seems to offer a repeated reliance on the Peircean categories as having explanatory power. I have discussed, accessibly, why these categories amount to epistemic classifications, a position that is in fact confirmed by a member of Terry’s group. Ontological approaches, which if looked at closely differ from the ones Terry correctly criticizes, are given a back of the hand dismissal that suggests that the writers may not be familiar enough with them to make the distinction.

A point of agreement between Terry and me is that a concept of quantum information should not be mixed with one of thermodynamic information. This does not mean, however, that the some of the dual aspects of quantum entities are not relevant for thermodynamic processes, including the properties, production and transfer of information. Terry is absolutely correct to question the so-called ‘it-from-bit’ theory of information in its simplest form. Again, however, alternatives are available at the heart of which is exactly the ‘overlap’ between physics and information that Pedro calls for, e.g., those of Luhn and myself.

I think Krassimir has a good point in concluding that we have a problem of civilization and that all our efforts, scientific and philosophical, should be made with the common good at the center of our preoccupations. This is the theme of the Vienna Summit 2015. Information offers the ground on which standard physical and biological as well as social and psychological reality can meet. It is from the most complex, interactive, recursive aspects of these realities as well as from the simplest that we must learn. Thank you.

Best wishes,

Joseph


>----Message d'origine----
>De : deacon at berkeley.edu
>Date : 30/01/2015 - 09:31 (PST)
>À : logan at physics.utoronto.ca
>Cc : fis at listas.unizar.es
>Objet : Re: [Fis] Concluding the Lecture?
>
>Thanks to Pedro and Bob for these last few comments. Indeed, like
>Darwin in 1859 we are still just beginning to formulate "one long
>argument" that will need to be progressively refined in the decades to
>come. The question is where best to begin the task of synthesizing. I
>too find the metaphor of searching for lost keys quite apropos, but I
>would beg your indulgence while I add an elaboration to this metaphor
>that sheds light on the perspective I have offered.
>
>Yes, we must at first search close to the light, even though there we
>will only find vague hints. But, importantly, as we cover more and
>more territory we will discover that the light progressively
>brightens. So long as we keep searching and don't walk out into the
>dark too quickly, skipping over important territory in between, the
>entire territory will become more and more thoroughly illuminated,
>searchable, and familiar to us.
>
>I believe that the light is brightest in the domain where we can see a
>clear relation between the two quite different concepts of entropy and
>the relationship of both to the concept of work. Admittedly, starting
>so minimally as I have in this essay seems remote from the interests
>of psychologists, anthropologists, economists and their kin, who
>demand an account of human-scale information processes, while at the
>same time appearing to introduce the messiness of semiotic concerns
>into the seemingly pristine world of information as a simple physical
>parameter. But of course the problem is to find the best illuminated
>middle ground between these two extremes, both still bathed in the
>darkness of simplifying assumptions that make them seem mutually
>exclusive— separated by darkness.
>
>This is what I am trying to accomplish. Though deceptively simple, I
>believe that the autogenic model system is just sufficiently complex
>to provide complete illumination of each of the critical defining
>features of the information concept—sign medium properties (entropies,
>uncertainty, constraint), reference (aboutness), significance
>(function, value, normativity), and interpretation (adaptation,
>intelligence)—while not artificially simplifying the issue by ignoring
>one or the other of these facets.
>
>Because of its simplicity none of these basic concepts are left in the
>dark as black boxes or excluded as taboo concepts. But of course,
>working at such a basic level means that the nature of more complex
>phenomena as thinking, subjectivity, language, and culture (to mention
>only a few) are not yet well illuminated by this light. This isn't to
>suggest that other pursuits in these other domains should be
>abandoned—for they at least clear away some of the underbrush creating
>paths that will help to ease the linkage between the different
>subterritories when finally the light brightens (to continue the
>metaphor). I just believe that this middle level is where the light
>best illuminates all the critical foundational issues.
>
>I don't expect agreement, but so far I haven't felt that the specific
>components of this proposal have been addressed in this thread. And in
>these closing days of discussion (as well as in future privately
>shared emails after this window closes) I hope to receive some
>suggestions and constructive criticisms pointing to where I might go
>next with this approach.
>
>Thanks for all your inputs.  Terry
>
>On 1/30/15, Bob Logan <logan at physics.utoronto.ca> wrote:
>> Thanks Pedro for your remarks. We have not reached our destination as you
>> point out but the important thing is to enjoy the journey which I certainly
>> have. It is inevitable that with such a slippery concept as information that
>> there will be different destinations depending on the travellers but what I
>> like about FIS in general and the dialogue that Terry prompted in particular
>> is the interesting ideas and good company I encountered along the way. As
>> for your remark about searching where there is light I suggest that we pack
>> a flashlight for the next journey to be led by our tour guide Zhao Chuan.
>> One common theme for understanding the importance of both information and
>> intelligence for me is interpretation and context (figure/ground or
>> pragmatics). Thanks to all especially Terry for a very pleasant journey. -
>> Bob
>> ______________________
>>
>> Robert K. Logan
>> Prof. Emeritus - Physics - U. of Toronto
>> Chief Scientist - sLab at OCAD
>> http://utoronto.academia.edu/RobertKLogan
>> www.physics.utoronto.ca/Members/logan
>> www.researchgate.net/profile/Robert_Logan5/publications
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> On 2015-01-30, at 8:25 AM, Pedro C. Marijuan wrote:
>>
>>> Dear Terry and colleagues,
>>>
>>> At your convenience, during the first week of February or so we may put an
>>> end to the ongoing New Year Lecture --discussants willing to enter their
>>> late comments should hurry up. Your own final or concluding comment will
>>> be appreciated.
>>>
>>> Personally, my late comment will deal with the last exchange between Bob
>>> and Terry, It is about the point which follows:  "...there was no thesis
>>> other than the word information is a descriptor for so many different
>>> situations and that it is a part of a semantic web - no roadmap only a
>>> jaunt through the countryside of associations - a leisurely preamble."
>>> In my own parlance, we have been focusing this fis session on the
>>> microphysical foundations of information (thermodynamic in this case)
>>> which together with the quantum would look as the definite foundations of
>>> the whole field, or even of the whole "great domain of information." But
>>> could it be so? Is there such thing as a "unitary" foundation? My
>>> impression is that we are instinctively working "where the light is",
>>> reminding the trite story of the physicists who has lost the car keys and
>>> is looking closest to the street lamp.  The point I suggest is that the
>>> different informational realms are emergent in the strongest sense: almost
>>> no trace of the underlying information realms would surface. Each realm
>>> has to invent throughout its own engines of invention the different
>>> informational & organizational  principles that sustain its existence. It
>>> is no obligate that there will be a successful outcome.... In the extent
>>> to which this plurality of foundations is true, solving the microphysical
>>> part would be of little help to adumbrating the neuronal/psychological or
>>> the social information arena.
>>>
>>> The roadmap Bob suggests is an obligatory exploration to advance; we may
>>> disagree in the ways and means, but not in the overall goal. It is a mind
>>> boggling exercise as we have to confront quite different languages and
>>> styles of thinking. For instance, the next session we will have at FIS (in
>>> a few weeks) is an attempt of an excursion on "Intelligence Science".
>>> Presented by Zhao Chuan, the aim is of confronting the phenomenon of
>>> intelligence from a global perspective amalgamating science (artificial
>>> intelligence), emotions, and art (poetic and pictorial). Not easy, but we
>>> will try
>>>
>>> Anyhow,  Terry, we much appreciate your insights and the responses you
>>> have produced along the Lecture. It was a nice intellectual exercise.
>>>
>>> Best wishes to all---Pedro
>>>
>>> -------------------------------------------------
>>> Pedro C. Marijuán
>>> Grupo de Bioinformación / Bioinformation Group
>>> Instituto Aragonés de Ciencias de la Salud
>>> Centro de Investigación Biomédica de Aragón (CIBA)
>>> Avda. San Juan Bosco, 13, planta X
>>> 50009 Zaragoza, Spain
>>> Tfno. +34 976 71 3526 (& 6818)
>>> pcmarijuan.iacs at aragon.es
>>> http://sites.google.com/site/pedrocmarijuan/
>>> -------------------------------------------------
>>>
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> Fis mailing list
>>> Fis at listas.unizar.es
>>> http://listas.unizar.es/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/fis
>>
>>
>
>
>-- 
>Professor Terrence W. Deacon
>University of California, Berkeley
>
>_______________________________________________
>Fis mailing list
>Fis at listas.unizar.es
>http://listas.unizar.es/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/fis
>