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Towards Theory/Definitions of Data, Information, Knowledge, and Wisdom


Scientific Theoretical framework and Definitions of Data, Information, Knowledge, and Wisdom, — Sir Philo Sophia

If you have any interest in a Philosophical framework & definition of "Information", the linked thread below discusses the Epistemological & Ontological status of that traditional & technical term.

Information Philosophy : https://thephilosophyforum.com/discussi ... ent/481620

towards answering your question above, please review my proposed "Scientific Definition of Living vs inanimate matter" here: — Sir Philo Sophia

I assume the referenced question is about "how the mechanism of organism works". And your "definition" makes the most obvious distinction between Mechanism and Organism : Mechanisms are passive media through which energy passes, while Organisms are active agents that turn some of that energy to their own personal purposes. As you noted above, that redirection of energy seems to be a "primitive form of Free Will". Of course, in the simplest organisms, like viruses, the self-directed "choice" may not be a conscious decision.

My definitions are based on the physics "principle of least action (PLA)". — Sir Philo Sophia

I would refer to the PLA more colloquially as the "Path of Least Resistance". Mechanisms tend to be efficient in in passing energy along pre-defined channels to outputs, that have nothing to do with the mechanism itself. By contrast, a living organism uses some of the channeled energy internally & selfishly, for metabolism & reproduction. The energy "lost" due to internal resistance, is turned into Life. Plus, the output of energy is expressed in self-directed behavior (animation) that we interpret as a sign of Life.

wherein the means or goal to Self-replicate or gain potential energy (PE) is not programmed or directed by an external consciousness or entity. — Sir Philo Sophia

That's what I mean by "self-directed" energy usage.

self-determined, unpredictable, path . . . an act of living primitive free will — Sir Philo Sophia

Freewill allows the organism to "choose" how to allocate its internal energy, rather than passively moved by external inputs.

preserving the most potential energy or negentropy possible — Sir Philo Sophia

I give a more positive name to "negentropy". I call it "Enformy".

Enformy :
Entropy is a quality of the universe modeled as a thermodynamic system. Energy always flows from Hot (high energy density) to Cold (low density) -- except when it doesn't. On rare occasions, energy lingers in a moderate state that we know as Matter, and sometimes even reveals new qualities and states of material stuff .
The Second Law of Thermodynamics states that, in a closed system, Entropy always increases until it reaches equilibrium at a temperature of absolute zero. But some glitch in that system allows stable forms to emerge that can recycle energy in the form of qualities we call Life & Mind. That "glitch" is what I call Enformy.
http://blog-glossary.enformationism.info/page8.html

Dissipation-Driven Adaptive Organization :
A new theory in Physics “that life exists because the law of increasing entropy drives matter to acquire lifelike physical properties”.
http://bothandblog2.enformationism.info/page77.html

Dissipative structures :
Refers to steady-state systems that are mechanisms for channeling energy in order to maintain their form. They re-direct the raw power of creative potential.
http://bothandblog2.enformationism.info/page76.html

So, please clearly state your Philosophical definition of "Information" in functional terms that is consistent with and predicts all known observations, and point out how it performs that better than my proposal. Thx. — Sir Philo Sophia

Since my understanding of the universal role of Information in the universe diverges radically from most particular & reductive mainstream concepts, I've had to create dozens of definitions to suit a variety of contexts.

We are not in competition here. Your proposed definition may suit your "scientific theoretical" purposes, but my understanding of Information is "philosophical theoretical", with no pretensions to be empirical or mathematical. But FWIW, here's one definition that is somewhat technical, but includes psychological and sociological applications.

Information :
Knowledge and the ability to know. Technically, it's the ratio of order to disorder, of positive to negative, of knowledge to ignorance. It's measured in degrees of uncertainty. Those ratios are also called "differences". So Gregory Bateson* defined Information as "the difference that makes a difference". The latter distinction refers to "value" or "meaning". Babbage called his prototype computer a "difference engine". Difference is the cause or agent of Change. In Physics it’s called "Thermodynamics" or "Energy". In Sociology it’s called "Conflict".
http://blog-glossary.enformationism.info/page11.html

So, please specifically read the definition you question and specifically point out where it is flawed in achieving the goals of an ideal definition (be it scientific or Philosophical). — Sir Philo Sophia

No need to get defensive. I wasn't critiquing flaws in your definition of Information, etc, but merely offering my observations from a different perspective. I'm not trying to prove you wrong. For your scientific purposes, your definition may be spot-on. But I have a more general & pragmatic usage in mind. The concept of "Generic Information" can be applied to just about any philosophical question. But it's not formulated for use in chemistry or physics experiments.

Generic Information : Information is Generic in the sense of generating all forms from a formless pool of possibility -- the Platonic Forms.
http://bothandblog2.enformationism.info/page29.html

↪Wayfarer
-- this use of "Generic" is not based on the common dictionary definition, but on the root meaning : "to generate novelty" or "to produce offspring".

Origin of generic
1670–80; <Latin gener- (see gender1) + -ic
also *gen-, Proto-Indo-European root meaning "give birth, beget,"

that is fine, and could be interesting to me if useful and applicable to human thought or reasoning. — Sir Philo Sophia

OK. Sorry for intruding on your thread. I suspect that you are more likely to get the kind of feedback you're interested-in on a science forum.

FWIW, one of my sources is Information and the Nature of Reality : From Physics to Metaphysics. It's written by almost 20 professional Physicists, Chemists, Biologists, Neuroscientists, and Philosophers. But, apparently no Psychologists. Most of it is way over my head, but it also may be too metaphysical for your taste.

Note : This book may be more pertinent to your reductive definition of Information. And it does include Psychologists among the almost 40 scientist authors from around the world.
From Matter to Life Information & Causality :
Fresh insights from a broad and authoritative range of articulate and respected experts focus on the transition from matter to life, and hence reconcile the deep conceptual schism between the way we describe physical and biological systems. A unique cross-disciplinary perspective, drawing on expertise from philosophy, biology, chemistry, physics, and cognitive and social sciences, provides a new way to look at the deepest questions of our existence. This book addresses the role of information in life, and how it can make a difference to what we know about the world.
https://www.amazon.com/Matter-Life-Info ... 1107150531

I stil can't see how 'generic information' is a meaningful concept. In your schema, 'enformation' is just the name you give for the place in metaphysics formerly occupied by religious concepts, such as spirit, chi, pneuma, and so on - you say so yourself. — Wayfarer

Yes. That's why I give my own custom definition. The term "genetic information" would completely miss the point of my useage. So I adapted "generic" to my purposes, despite it's common meaning of "general, common, & non-specific. It's a couple of other synonyms that hit the target for me : "universal, all-inclusive & all-encompassing". https://www.thesaurus.com/browse/generic

I do accept that my use of "Information" applies to old religious and mystical concepts, such as "Spirit, Chi & Pneuma". But in my definition there is nothing mysterious or supernatural about it. Instead, Information is the fundamental element (essence) of Nature. For example, in place of the obsolete notion of a spooky Ghost, presumably consisting of pseudo-scientific "ectoplasm", I would substitute the information pattern that defines the essence of a person. By analogy, that's the data read & transmitted by the Star Trek Transporter. Scientists are currently working of something like that, so they take the possibility of decoding a complete human (body & soul) seriously. I don't think they are even close, but the idea is plausible.

I'm not personally religious, but I'm also not an Atheist. So I can relate to pre-scientific notions, without accepting their supernatural baggage. And I can go beyond the self-imposed limitations of reductive materialistic Science, to explore philosophical possibilities.

My use of "Information" and "Enformation" is much broader than just a replacement for obsolete religious names. It's also a substitute for some out-of-date scientific terms, such as "Energy", which is more properly EnFormAction : the act of changing form.

Don't know what Energy is? : I believe if we went back and re-defined the nature of energy, which is the intimate driving force of the universe, our theories would move out of this 40 year stagnation.
https://www.quora.com/Is-it-true-that-n ... srid=ozk3M

Transporting Information : In the quantum world, teleportation involves the transportation of information, rather than the transportation of matter.
https://www.nsf.gov/discoveries/disc_su ... &from=news

In my DIKW definition framework, I expect generating the Platonic Forms aremore about knowledge than information, as they are generic (ideal) knowledge about how to structure and constrain and use a category of imperfect yet very similar objects. Thus, Platonic Forms are very much like ideal models and general templates of expected/experienced objects. — Sir Philo Sophia

But "information" is "knowledge" . . . and much more.

Your narrow reductive definition of "Information" omits most of its overall "generic" meaning, just as Claude Shannon's engineering definition did. For example, the original meaning of the word was "knowledge in a mind". Shannon discovered that the concept of Information could also be applied to knowledge stored in machines. He noted that the Uncertainty of a piece of Knowledge is equivalent to physical Entropy. Since then, scientists have realized that even natural Energy is essentially a form of Causal Information.

But most of these scientific applications are only indirectly "applicable to human thought or reasoning". I originally got the impression that your theory was intended to be broadly applicable to Science in general, not just to the contents of minds. So, again, I apologize for diverting your thread.


Information : noun. knowledge communicated or received concerning a particular fact or circumstance; news: information concerning a crime. knowledge gained through study, communication, research, instruction, etc.; factual data: His wealth of general information is amazing. the act or fact of informing.
https://www.dictionary.com/browse/information

Information : can be thought of as the resolution of uncertainty; it is that which answers the question of "What an entity is" and thus defines both its essence and nature of its characteristics. The concept of information has different meanings in different contexts.[1] Thus the concept becomes related to notions of constraint, communication, control, data, form, education, knowledge, meaning, understanding, mental stimuli, pattern, perception, representation, and entropy.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Information

Information :
Knowledge and the ability to know. Technically, it's the ratio of order to disorder, of positive to negative, of knowledge to ignorance. It's measured in degrees of uncertainty. Those ratios are also called "differences". So Gregory Bateson* defined Information as "the difference that makes a difference". The latter distinction refers to "value" or "meaning". Babbage called his prototype computer a "difference engine". Difference is the cause or agent of Change. In Physics it’s called "Thermodynamics" or "Energy". In Sociology it’s called "Conflict".
http://blog-glossary.enformationism.info/page11.html