Dear Francis,
In 1989 I wrote an essai on "Behavior of Information."
It has never been published and I reformatted it recently
using LaTeX as preparation to rework it in the near future.
Yesterday, I discovered the PCP on the net and there are
many contact points. (I'am still searching my way in the net.)
The main thesis of "Behavior of Information" goes as follows:
(this is an older text, not adapted since I found out about memes).
Information spreads and lives much like living species,
such as viruses.
By placing ourselves on the point of view of the
information rather than on the point of view of an
individual using the information, we notice that
information is using the human beings as breeding ground.
From there that I state that ``information behaves'', and that the
behavior of information can be studied.
Objection:
Information lives and spreads only because human beings use it.
Reply:
1) The fact that the life of information (beings) depends
on the life of human beings does not mean that information
is not alive. Similar situations of mutual dependency exist
everywhere in nature. For example, the life of human beings
depend on the life of vegetables, and depends on the
live of very specific bacteria in out intestine.
2) With information I mean not only human information and knowledge,
but everything that has structure. For example when we consider
genetic information of any life form on earth we can notice
behavior that is very similar to the behavior if information
generated by the human mind.
Induration:
Information that is applied many times under many different
circumstances becomes stronger.
I like to call this effect the ``induration of information.''
Abstract information that is deeply nested in many different and complex
information structures becomes so strong that it seems to us that it is
unchangeable. It behaves exactly like a law of Nature. We can experiment
with it and the outcome is predictable.
Examples:
1) The basic principles of language are so widely spread in all animal
life-forms that it seems to be a law of nature. When we encounter a
kind of mammal that we have never seen before, we can establish
quickly a dialogue in body-language.
2) If we plant a tree, we take it for granted that it can grow there.
However, the number of requirements for the soul and atmospheric
conditions are enormous, but the required elements are so widely
spread that these complex conditions are widely available.
Gaining experience:
The application of abstract information under different circumstances
has as effect that the abstract information becomes stronger (more
difficult to change). Also the abstract information (being) learns from
that. We say it is gaining experience with the different circumstances
in which it is applied.
Examples:
1) A philosophy that has been applied under many different
circumstances becomes fine tuned to withstand the confrontation
with other, new ideas.
2) The basic mechanisms of life on earth (DNA-based life) are extremely
well adapted to the circumstances on earth. A little bit information
of many different circumstances becomes integrated in the basic
information.
3) The way a technique, for example a production technique evolves can
easily be compared to the evolution of a kind of animal. At first it
is threatened by every change in condition, but after a while it
becomes more universal and more robust.
Laws of Nature:
The laws of Nature are very abstract principles (information) that
have been applied so widely that they are very stable. In our scale of
time and energy they seem to be unchangeable.
Matter:
Matter is nothing more as an interlocked play of the laws of nature.
There is nothing there, the closer we look, the more we see that there
is nothing more than an a play of forces, and these forces are the
laws of Nature and these laws of Nature are indurated information.
One of coming days I will make an extra fotocopy of the
draft of "Behavior of information" and send it to you.
In the mean time, I will further investigate your environment
in the WEB.
Best Regards,
Luc
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Luc Claeys claeys@innet.be
Antwerpen (Wilrijk) Belgium.
In search of new points of view
for better understanding of Nature.
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