New Paper: The World as Evolving Information

The World as Evolving Information
Carlos Gershenson

Abstract: This philosophical paper discusses the benefits of describing the world as information, especially in the study of the evolution of life and cognition. Traditional studies encounter difficulties because it is difficult to describe life and cognition in terms of matter and energy, falling into a dualist trap. However, if matter and energy, as well as life and cognition, are described in terms of information, evolution can be described consistently as information becoming more complex. Moreover, information theory is already well established and formalized.
The paper presents five tentative laws of information, which are generalizations of Darwinian, cybernetic, thermodynamic, and complexity principles. These are further used to discuss the notions of life and cognition, including their origins and evolution.

Full paper here.

Comments

Andy Ilachinski said…
Hi Carlos,

Saw a link to your paper from the Complexity Digest...and wanted to look you up to congratulate you on a wonderfully creative (visionary even!) thesis. A genuinely semantic generalization to a (syntax-only) Shannon I-theory is long overdue, as you know. Suh, Corning, and others have made valid stabs, but I think your recent paper has a particularly eloquent expressive strength. I look forward to reading some more of your views (And than ks for posting your thesis on-line, as it certainly looks to be very substantive as well!) When I get some thoughts in order perhaps I'll drop a line, and have a virtual chat with you ;-) (I have dabbled in complexity now and then)
2:20 PM
Carlos said…
An updated version of this paper was posted here.
4:05 PM
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