Hi Andrea,
> Except that information theory applies as well to data storage, encoding, encryption, etc. But well, agreed.
>
Maybe he should have just called it data theory then. I think that Shannon himself had some qualms about the use of the term, and
that it caused some controversy at the time. My problem with it is that it makes it very difficult to get a handle on what is being
talked about here in some sort of common sense way. It makes communication difficult when a word can be taken to mean a number of
different things.
I struggled with this for a while, discovered that my everyday interpretation wasn't adequate, and eventually found the following,
which is reputedly from the Oxford Dictionary of Computing:
"Formally, and especially in science and engineering, information is whatever contributes to a reduction in the uncertainty of the
state of the system..."
This rang bells for me because it seems that the only way that information could result in the reduction of uncertainty is if it
contains meaning. I am not able to explain why, but it seems that this way of expressing it provides some sort of bridge between my
everyday understanding of the meaning of the word and the engineering sense.
> You probably mean that the ultimate rationale for the theory was that of enabling the communication of some kind of meaning.
Exactly that. Otherwise, why bother. It interesting to think that all of this complication is designed to carry this precious cargo
without damaging it, but no consideration is given to its nature.
> 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?)
Neither was I. The idea just came out as I was typing, and I liked it so I thought I would leave it there. I don't think I am trying
to do any such thing. I am just trying to understand these things a little better because it came as a shock to realise that I
didn't understand them at all.
But I have to ask: Is it such a ridiculous idea? My interest in the MOQ is that I think that it might be useful - that if it
provides a better explanation of the way things are we should be able use that explanation to do things better. If it really is a
better explanation then I would expect to be possible to apply it to any area, particularly science and technology.
Graham
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