Hi all,
ROG:
Hmmmm... If INFO is a change of opinion AND a reduction in uncertainty, then
INFO is a change of opinion in the direction of certainty. In other words,
INFORMATION changes uncertainty into KNOWLEDGE. This creates a spectrum of
opinion, from those we are completely uncertain about, to those we are fully
certain about. Hmmmm... did I just say the same thing as you but differently?
GRAHAM:
Yes - I think so. But Erin has now brought belief into the conversation, and reminded me that when many people express their opinion
they are usually saying what they believe to be true. They equate their belief with knowledge, and I think that a lot of the
problems we have in the world stem from that.
I think that the difference between belief and knowledge is that knowledge requires certainty. Without certainty, all beliefs remain
as opinions (i.e. contain a measure of uncertainty).
>From the perspective of the information that can be gained sitting on a beach watching the sun travel across the sky, the belief
that the world is flat, or that the world is round, are simply opinions. However, when information from a reliable source arrives,
perhaps a photo taken from the moon, or a report of someone's journey around the world, the belief that the world is round changes
its status from opinion to knowledge. Uncertainty is reduced to zero.
Of course, there is the problem of determining what is a reliable source of information, and once you have that, of ensuring that
the information is interpreted correctly. It is so easy to get this wrong, and this leads me to the conclusion that true knowledge
may be a more unusual commodity than we sometimes think it is. Information sources that reduce uncertainty to zero are probably very
rare. Most of the time we have to content ourselves with shaving little bits off here and there, and in most areas of what is
usually considered to be knowledge a high level of uncertainty remains.
Even so, I would certainly agree that every time we do that we are increasing value, and our ability to survive/thrive/learn/etc.
.
ROG:
No comments on your hierarchy other than that ramblin' is good for the soul.
GRAHAM:
I certainly agree with that. But I am getting fond of this hierarchy idea, and I might try to develop it a little further some time
soon.
The key points for me are the realisation that there is a difference between the physical media (magnetic disk, etc.), and the
logical media (data), and from this that the information itself is distinct from the data.
For some reason I have never thought about it in that way before. Suddenly I think I know what Bateson was getting at with "the
difference that makes a difference". When we look at the night sky everything that we see - the moon and stars, the planets and the
blackness between - is the data. The information is contained both in the light that comes from the celestial bodies and their
relative positions to each other. The blackness contains no information (unless you start using instruments to examine it, of
course), but it somehow makes the information meaningful by providing it with context. If it wasn't there, then the information
wouldn't exist...
Oops - off I go again.
Everybody - do have a good new year.
Graham
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