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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;mso-fareast-language:EN-US">Dear Michel and colleagues,<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;mso-fareast-language:EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;mso-fareast-language:EN-US">I appreciate your thoughtful post and the ongoing discussion on this thread. As a silent observer with interests in Spencer Brown, Luhmann, social systems theory, and AI (particularly
LLMs), I find the discourse both engaging and enlightening.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;mso-fareast-language:EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;mso-fareast-language:EN-US">The issue at hand, namely the relationship between knowledge, information, and meaning (or semantics as the selection of actuality within a unity of difference with indeterminacy
and endless possibility), is quite pertinent to my own reflections and research.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;mso-fareast-language:EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;mso-fareast-language:EN-US">In the Batesonian sense, information is a difference that makes a difference. Can such information be false? My viewpoint is that information, in itself, is indifferent to truth.
It is the role of scientific communication in our modern world to validate a statement as being either true or false. This concern for truth, I would argue, is how we conceptualize knowledge.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;mso-fareast-language:EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;mso-fareast-language:EN-US">The Enlightenment aspiration for convergence and consensus in our knowledge systems has been significantly challenged, and not only by advancements in physics and mathematics. Sociological
phenomena, as observable on platforms such as social media, indicate that the aspiration for universal consensus is far from reality. This renews the importance of questioning existing ontological distinctions of completeness and brings to the fore the relevance
of Spencer Brown's ontological algebra in our era.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;mso-fareast-language:EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;mso-fareast-language:EN-US"><a href="https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://chatgptineducationandsociety.wordpress.com/2023/06/01/whither-knowledge-whither-meaning/__;!!D9dNQwwGXtA!QYtMdpcmLx63pGadY4KJ2DIXVXTZkqdL0SRPOR91XjHBQvDMJiOo7e9Kvu_I4QsIHVPB7PT7EFFyHcyF3Z49$">My recent blog post on the topic of knowledge and meaning with LLMs tackles
these concepts further</a>, using late modernity's paradoxical nature as a backdrop. In an era where knowledge was expected to converge and stabilize across domains, we find ourselves facing diversity and complexity. Amidst this flux, the role of semantic
structures or ‘meaning’ becomes crucial.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;mso-fareast-language:EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;mso-fareast-language:EN-US">LLMs reflect this shift towards meaning, generating text that aligns closely with human cognition and understanding. They serve as valuable tools to navigate the changing knowledge
landscapes. They also echo Spencer Brown's principles, treating knowledge as a recursive distinction and encouraging a critique of prevailing ontological views.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;mso-fareast-language:EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;mso-fareast-language:EN-US">The intertwining of meaning and knowledge forms the basis of our understanding of the world. For example, “The sky is blue” is both a semantic structure and a piece of factual knowledge.
The challenge lies in navigating this intersection, in creating learning environments that foster critical thinking and discernment of nuances.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;mso-fareast-language:EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;mso-fareast-language:EN-US">Indeed, scientific communities continuously evolve criteria for acceptable information, marking not censorship but the freedom of thought. This evolution, however, is often impeded
by orthodoxy and fixed viewpoints, sometimes requiring generational changes to rectify. True progress in scientific knowledge involves the independent reproduction of results by other researchers.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;mso-fareast-language:EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;mso-fareast-language:EN-US">While it's harder to reproduce sociological and political results, discerning between lies, fabrications, and actual accounts of events is feasible. This discernment becomes more
possible with an education that encourages critical thinking. Education should not only impart 'knowledge' but also nurture the ability to question, recognize the recursive distinction of the mark, and critique prevailing ontologies.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;mso-fareast-language:EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;mso-fareast-language:EN-US">In response to Konstantin's point, while it is true that the concept of disinformation can be subjective, the aim should not be to dictate 'truth' but to facilitate critical thinking
and promote open discourse. Statements about fighting disinformation should not be seen as an excuse for imposing censorship, but rather as a call for greater vigilance in the sense of observing how and how and why distinctions are made rather than which distinctions
are true or false. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;mso-fareast-language:EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;mso-fareast-language:EN-US">Best wishes,
<br>
Steve Watson<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-size:11.0pt;color:black">Dr Steven Watson<br>
Associate Professor<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-size:11.0pt;color:black">Co-chair The Knowledge Power Politics Research Cluster (</span></i><i><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><a href="https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://kppcam.net/about/__;!!D9dNQwwGXtA!QYtMdpcmLx63pGadY4KJ2DIXVXTZkqdL0SRPOR91XjHBQvDMJiOo7e9Kvu_I4QsIHVPB7PT7EFFyHSkJjxbh$"><span style="color:#0563C1">KPP</span></a>).<span style="color:black"><br>
Faculty of Education<br>
University of Cambridge<br>
Room 3S19, Donald McIntyre Building<br>
184 Hills Road<br>
Cambridge CB2 8PQ<br>
<br>
Tel: 44 (0) 1223 (7)67584 </span></span></i><span style="font-size:11.0pt;color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-size:11.0pt;color:black"> <br>
Fellow of Wolfson College<br>
Wolfson College<br>
Barton Road<br>
Cambridge CB3 8BB<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-size:11.0pt;color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:11.0pt;color:black">Recent writing:<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;color:black">Watson, S. (2023). ChatGPT and the Entangled Evolution of Society, Education, and Technology: A Systems Theory Perspective.
<a href="https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.19272.39689__;!!D9dNQwwGXtA!QYtMdpcmLx63pGadY4KJ2DIXVXTZkqdL0SRPOR91XjHBQvDMJiOo7e9Kvu_I4QsIHVPB7PT7EFFyHVD608TJ$"><span style="color:#0563C1">https://doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.19272.39689</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;color:black">Watson, S., Romic, J., & Lien, V. (2023). ChatGPT</span><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"MS Gothic";color:black">与社会、教育和技</span><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"PingFang TC",sans-serif;color:black">术</span><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"MS Gothic";color:black">的</span><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"PingFang TC",sans-serif;color:black">纠缠进</span><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"MS Gothic";color:black">化：系</span><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"PingFang TC",sans-serif;color:black">统</span><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"MS Gothic";color:black">理</span><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"PingFang TC",sans-serif;color:black">论视</span><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"MS Gothic";color:black">角</span><span style="font-size:11.0pt;color:black">.
<a href="https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.16108.13448__;!!D9dNQwwGXtA!QYtMdpcmLx63pGadY4KJ2DIXVXTZkqdL0SRPOR91XjHBQvDMJiOo7e9Kvu_I4QsIHVPB7PT7EFFyHdLVXLmr$"><span style="color:#0563C1">https://doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.16108.13448</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:11.0pt;color:black">ChatGPT Blog:<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;color:black"><a href="https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://chatgptineducationandsociety.wordpress.com/2023/04/11/welcome-to-chatgpt-in-education-and-society-investigating-the-integration-of-ai-in-diverse-learning-environments/__;!!D9dNQwwGXtA!QYtMdpcmLx63pGadY4KJ2DIXVXTZkqdL0SRPOR91XjHBQvDMJiOo7e9Kvu_I4QsIHVPB7PT7EFFyHZTRgucY$"><span style="color:#0563C1">https://chatgptineducationandsociety.wordpress.com/2023/04/11/welcome-to-chatgpt-in-education-and-society-investigating-the-integration-of-ai-in-diverse-learning-environments/</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-size:11.0pt;color:black"><br>
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notify the sender by return email (or telephone) and delete the original message. <br>
The sender has taken reasonable precautions to check for viruses but the recipient opens this message at his or her own risk.</i><o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;mso-fareast-language:EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;mso-fareast-language:EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12.0pt"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;color:black">From:
</span></b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;color:black">Fis <fis-bounces@listas.unizar.es> on behalf of Louis Kauffman <loukau@gmail.com><br>
<b>Date: </b>Monday, 5 June 2023 at 09:49<br>
<b>To: </b>konstantin lidin <lidinkl@hotmail.com><br>
<b>Cc: </b>fis <fis@listas.unizar.es><br>
<b>Subject: </b>Re: [Fis] Information, misinformation, disinformation<o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">In scientific communities, evolving criteria for acceptable information goes on all the time and is<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">a marker for freedom of thought, not for censorship. At the same time, it is the case that such communities often are caught in orthodoxies and fixed <o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">viewpoints that require certain generations to simply die out to be rectified. We make progress in scientific knowing by having evolving criteria for <o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">acceptable results. Note also that the criterion for acceptability is the independent production of those results by other researchers. Under such conditions this is the <o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">opposite of censorship. Alas, sociological and political results are much harder to reproduce. But it is nevertheless possible to discriminate between<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">lies, fabrications and actual accounts of events. I say possible and to the extent that people are educated to think for themselves and to think critically, it becomes more<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">possible.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
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<blockquote style="margin-top:5.0pt;margin-bottom:5.0pt">
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">On Jun 5, 2023, at 2:24 AM, konstantin lidin <<a href="mailto:lidinkl@hotmail.com">lidinkl@hotmail.com</a>> wrote:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt">the concept of disinformation is completely subjective.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt">According to Shannon, lies (noise) this is irrelevant information. Relevance is compliance with the goals of the participants in the information transfer process. Any message is relevant (truthful) if it corresponds
to the picture of the world of the sender and recipient of the message. For example, a message about the existence of demons is truthful information for a believer in demons, but the same message is disinformation for an atheist.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt">Declarations on combating disinformation are a reason for the introduction of stricter censorship by EU and EC officials. Obviously, if this project is implemented, special sensors will be assigned that will
determine the level of reliability of messages and punish messages that contradict the official picture of the world from EC officials<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:11.0pt">From:</span></b><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"> </span></span><span style="font-size:11.0pt">Fis <<a href="mailto:fis-bounces@listas.unizar.es">fis-bounces@listas.unizar.es</a>>
on behalf of Michel Petitjean <<a href="mailto:petitjean.chiral@gmail.com">petitjean.chiral@gmail.com</a>><br>
<b>Sent:</b><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>05 June 2023 02:58<br>
<b>To:</b><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>fis <<a href="mailto:fis@listas.unizar.es">fis@listas.unizar.es</a>><br>
<b>Subject:</b><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>[Fis] Information, misinformation, disinformation</span><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:Helvetica"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:Helvetica"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Helvetica">Dear All,<br>
Europa declares that fighting disinformation will be legal obligation.<br>
Let me ask some questions:<br>
- Who is able to recognize misinformation vs. information?<br>
- When misinformation is recognized, who is able to establish an<br>
intentional character, so that it is disinformation indeed?<br>
- Who will be in charge to do the tasks above?<br>
Well, in some simple cases disinformation can be recognized.<br>
Just curious, would we all agree when such of these cases is stated to<br>
have occurred?<br>
Better would be to massively educate people rather than to censor.<br>
All my best.<br>
Michel. retired scientist.<br>
<a href="https://urldefense.com/v3/__http://petitjeanmichel.free.fr/itoweb.petitjean.html__;!!D9dNQwwGXtA!TJwbbe1lwYIxShwAfVBumCbM_Z8dLAOsPYouKKMFgAbgRlJOO-Hrq6KGYRxM2jIQ9ODmmYfdvxs8TQ6e1sxrhVXvMx3y$">https://urldefense.com/v3/__http://petitjeanmichel.free.fr/itoweb.petitjean.html__;!!D9dNQwwGXtA!TJwbbe1lwYIxShwAfVBumCbM_Z8dLAOsPYouKKMFgAbgRlJOO-Hrq6KGYRxM2jIQ9ODmmYfdvxs8TQ6e1sxrhVXvMx3y$</a><br>
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