[Fis] [External Email] Re: defining information.Joseph comment on Loet

[Jose Javier Blanco Rivero]

Dear Fisers,

What do we want a definition for? Is it for the sake of precision? Is it
because of scientific soundness?  Or because we want to fix the contours of
our discipline?

Conceptual history as second order observation might shed some light on
these issues. Concepts are inherently undefinable. Definire means closing,
since concepts are strictly and loosely coupled at the same time to social,
political and scientific contexts they remain open and flexible, in order
to dynamically deliver meaning (this is what is called pragmatics in
linguistics) and make communication possible.

On the other hand, openly contested concepts, such as information,
contrarily to mainstream opinion, do not speak for lack of scientific
soundness or of disciplinary unity. A discipline, as is the case in many
social sciences, is united around common disagreements on fundamental
concepts. In fact, are precisely common disagreements  what make concepts
fundamental ones.

What about reaching out to artificial languages which are more rational and
less ambiguous, such as maths. Maths have been so resourceful because they
have accomplished a function of consistency proof with regard to other
languages games. I mean, by themselves they will not bring about conceptual
clarity.
In any case this is a polemic idea I would have to further elaborate
somewhere else.

Best,
El mar 6, 2020 8:14 AM, "Joseph Brenner" <joe.brenner en bluewin.ch> escribió:

> The alternative is to give up looking for a unifying definition of
> information *qua *static content and look for, instead of a mathematical
> theory, a concept of information as a common dynamic process, by definition
> multi-dimensional.
>
> Best,
>
>
>
> Joseph
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> *From:* Fis [mailto:fis-bounces en listas.unizar.es] *On Behalf Of *Loet
> Leydesdorff
> *Sent:* vendredi, 6 mars 2020 07:48
> *To:* João Alvaro Carvalho; fis
> *Subject:* Re: [Fis] [External Email] Re: defining information
>
>
>
> I gave up looking for an unifying definition of information.
>
> As soon I switch to another context (for example, moving from the context
> of organisational work to  the human mind or to the cell) the key features
> are different.
>
>
>
> This problem is precisely a reason to stick to a content-free, i.e.,
> mathematical definition of information.  Information can then further be
> made relevant in any special theory. The application is not dimension-free.
>
>
>
> Best,
>
> Loet
>
>
>
>
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