[Fis] Five Clouds over Fundamental Information Science

[Eric Werner]

Dear Xueshan,

Thank you for the clear separation of disciplines-themes-clouds! All of 
fundamental interest and importance. In view of your interests,  you 
might be interested in my theoretical and applies work on 
communication-cooperation theory for multi-agent systems (part of the 
birth of distributed AI) and my later modeling of genomes and their role 
in embryogenesis and cancer -which applied my DAI theories to modeling 
dynamic, developing multicellular communication systems. This work 
relates strongly to your themes at the same time showing crossovers.  I 
welcome further communications from you! My work on meaning was strongly 
influenced by Wittgenstein, von Neumann's work on game theory and his 
mathematical foundations of quantum mechanics. So a more 
logical-philosophical-formal-foundations bent.

-Eric

P.S. Since we have never met and since you have probably have never 
heard of me, here is some info about me:

BACKGROUND: Dr. Eric Werner has a Ph.D. in logic and is a research 
scientist with an interdisciplinary focus in distributed artificial 
intelligence, systems biology, computational embryology, cancer modeling 
and simulation. He has developed new models and protocols to understand 
and potentially treat cancer by combining CRISPR genome editing methods 
with computational cancer modeling and simulation software (cancer-CAD).
As a founder of Distributed Artificial Intelligence DAI, he worked in 
some of the world's top research institutes including: The University of 
Oxford (Balliol College) for 11 years in both the department of computer 
science and the department of physiology, anatomy and genetics, INRIA in 
France, CNR in Rome, AAII (Australian Artificial Intelligence Institute, 
Stanford Research International SRI in Australia), SONY Research Labs in 
Tokyo, the Distributed Systems Research Group, University of Hamburg 
where he led a project with staff and students that developed the first 
four legged "insect" robot in Germany. He was chairman of the department 
of computer science and Dana Faculty Fellow at Bowdoin College, Maine. 
He headed robotic software development while professor of computer 
science at  Montana College of Mineral Science and Technology, Butte, 
Montana.  Dr. Werner was also a lecturer in philosophy and formal logic 
in Africa at the University of Ibadan, Nigeria.

> Dear colleagues,
>
> I have summarized five sets of puzzles faced by fundamental 
> information science and called them 'clouds' — some of which have been 
> emphasized by Pedro on many occasions. I am now glade to hear 
> everyone's different opinions.
>
> **
>
> Best wishes,
>
> Xueshan Yan
>
> Professor Emeritus
>
> Department of Information Management
>
> Peking University, China
>
> **
>
> **
>
> **
>
> *Five Clouds over Fundamental Information Science*
>
> /Xueshan Yan///
>
> *Inforware**: Information must exist in signs, and signs must exist on 
> substrates**. We define a trinity composed of information, sign, and 
> substrate as an Inforware.
>
> *Four Concomitant Disciplines: *Based on the structure of an 
> inforware, we have Informatics for studying information, and Semiotics 
> for studying signs—the existence mode of information. Since 
> communication is the transmission of information and computation is 
> the processing of information, we also have another two fundamental 
> disciplines: Communication Studies and Computation Studies. These four 
> disciplines are concomitant; that is, if one is present, the other 
> three (or more) will eventually emerge.
>
> *Cloud 1. Information and Meaning*: What is information? Since 1948, 
> information scientists have been discussing it for 76 years, yet still 
> cannot provide a definitive answer. What is meaning? Since 1825, 
> linguists have been debating it for 200 years and still cannot reach a 
> definitive conclusion. Nevertheless, linguistics has been established 
> successfully. Let’s consider a hypothesis: if we were to suspend all 
> discussions about the definition of information for three years, what 
> else could we do? From a human perspective, are information and 
> meaning two homogenous issues? Or are they two different expressions 
> of one existence?
>
> *Cloud 2. Brain Informatics or Animal Informatics*:**It has been 
> demonstrated that any organism with a brain inforware can communicate 
> with others; therefore, brain informatics must exist, —storing, 
> sending, and receiving information are fundamental functions of the 
> brain—, and human informatics already exists. Similarly, we could 
> explore bee informatics, elephant informatics, and so on. Can we 
> assume that there are as many types of animal informatics as there are 
> animal species?
>
> *Cloud 3. Genetics as a Discipline of Informatics:*Cells can 
> communicate. The central dogma of molecular biology describes the 
> pathway of DNA→RNA→protein, through which genetic information flows. 
> In this process, DNA serves as substrate, bases function as signs, and 
> genomics represents informatics. If we propose that genetics is the 
> most successful branch of informatics, what would be the response from 
> biologists? Could a similar phenomenon also be observed in 
> neuroscience and endocrinology?
>
> *Cloud 4. Communication between Inforwares*: Some speculate that two 
> supramolecules can communicate with each other. But can two ordinary 
> molecules communicate? Can two atoms communicate? Can two celestial 
> bodies communicate? Can plants communicate with one another? Can 
> different inforwares communicate across different levels? Is the 
> communication between humans and cats true communication (language 
> comprehension) or false communication (conditional reflex)?
>
> *Cloud 5. Exploration of Fundamental Information Science*: Can we 
> regard fundamental information science as an exploration based on the 
> inductive method, focusing on the commonalities among various 
> fundamental information disciplines, especially the four concomitant 
> disciplines mentioned above? The complexity and enormity of this 
> venture have far exceeded anyone's imagination. Is it one of the most 
> challenging disciplines to study in contemporary times? Or, does it 
> not exist at all?
>
> ---------------------
>
> /*Any discipline has its own concept framework, which is why I coined 
> the new term *Inforware*. For example, the computer science is built 
> on the two primary concepts of hardware and software.///
>
> */**Studies focused solely on substrates typically fall under the 
> technical or natural sciences rather than information science./*//
>
>
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-- 
/Dr. Eric Werner, FLS
Oxford Advanced Research Foundation
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/
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