[Fis] Contingency signals: AI Information, Decision and Learning

[Krassimir Markov]

Dear Steve,
I was pleased to read your letter. You are very close to the definition of
what we call "information", but you have not yet separated information as a
result of its mention on a par with the causes.
In fact, things are quite simple - what you call a "signal" is a two-sided
entity.
On the one hand, the environment affects the receptors, on the other hand,
the receptors are activated and send impulses further into the body. Not
all external influences are perceived as signals. For example, no matter
how loudly you speak to a 100% deaf person, he will not register the
arrival of signals from you.
Therefore, it is correct to talk not about "signals", but about
"reflections".
Only when the receptors reflect the impact, only then does a process begin
that leads to the appearance of "information".
Any perceived reflection is "data" until it is recognized by the body.
It is precisely the recognized data that is information, i.e. information
is data with meaning.
Further, if the information is fixed in the long-term memory of the
organism, it becomes "knowledge".
Some organisms can externalize their knowledge and thus interact with
others.
Well, in everyday jargon, usually, either out of ignorance or laziness,
people use the word "information" to denote either data or externalized
knowledge, for example, it is usually said "I collect information from
sensors", while the correct one is "I collect data from sensors", as well
as "I read a lot of information in the library today", instead of, "I
gained a lot of knowledge in the library today".
As an illustration, I attach a slide from my presentation at the 7th
International Conference on Philosophy of Information (ICPI 2025), which
was part of IS4SI 2025 - The 2025 Summit of the International Society for
the Study of Information, June 2025, In-person and on-line, Varna, Bulgaria.
With respect,
Krassimir

[image: information.jpg]

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