Graham Wyatt wrote:
> I think that it is worth remembering that information theory is a SOM based engineering theory that hijacked the word "information"
> for its own use. I think it might have been much better if Shannon had called it "data communication theory" or something similar.
Except that information theory applies as well to data storage, encoding, encryption, etc. But well, agreed.
> Removing meaning (i.e value) is a convention that was introduced to make it easy to think about. Rather than being extraneous, I
> think meaning is just assumed to be there, and then ignored because it plays no part in the equations.
You probably mean that the ultimate rationale for the theory was that of enabling the communication of some kind of meaning (e.g.,
text). Yet it is doubtless that meaning has absolutely *no* role in information theory itself (as is), but more relevant, it has no
role in its *applications* too. Information theory only addresses the communication (storage, encoding, etc.) of symbols, independent
of the meaning you (or anyone) attach to them. If you must send a russian message over a network, it makes no difference whether you
know or don't know russian. IMO, meaning wasn't removed from the theory; it was never there because it was useless (not pertinent). In
a sense the fact that information theory/technology are about symbols rather than meaning is one of its cornerstones and reasons of
success (think of all those .jpgs, .gifs, .docs, .wavs, .htmls, .whatever magically stored using poor meaningless bits).
> If there is to be a MOQ theory of information, then probably the first aim of it would be to put meaning back in front where it
> belongs.
I wasn't aware you were trying to elaborate a MOQ theory of information, otherwise I would have let the details aside and just say that
MOQ isn't expected to replace science or technology (is it?) I wonder what such a theory would be like and what would it be for. If I
engaged in such a project myself, I would be as embarassed as if I was requested to design a platonic insurance system or a poetical
supply chain. I might be short minded here, nevertheless. Good luck.
Andrea
-- Andrea Sosio P&T-TPD-SP Tel. (8)9006 mailto: Andrea.Sosio@italtel.itMOQ.ORG - http://www.moq.org Mail Archive - http://alt.venus.co.uk/hypermail/moq_discuss/ MD Queries - horse@darkstar.uk.net
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