Information and Meaning An Evolutionary Perspective [Paperback]

Information and Meaning is the third book in a trilogy exploring the nature of information, intelligence and meaning. It begins by providing an overview of the first two works of the trilogy, then goes on to consider the meaning of meaning. This explorat ion leads to a theory of how the brain works. This book differs from others in the field, in that it is written from the perspective of a theoretical biologist looking at the evolution of information systems as a basis for studying the phenomena of information, intelligence and meaning. It describes how neurons create a brain which understands information inputs and then is able to operate on such information.Information and Meaning is the third book in a trilogy exploring the nature of information, intelligence and meaning. It begins by providing an overview of the first two works of the trilogy, then goes on to consider the meaning of meaning. This explorat ion leads to a theory of how the brain works. This book differs from others in the field, in that it is written from the perspective of a theoretical biologist looking at the evolution of information systems as a basis for studying the phenomena of information, intelligence and meaning. It describes how neurons create a brain which understands information inputs and then is able to operate on such information.1 Introduction.- Philosophical Preface.- The Need for a General Theory of Information.- Knowledge Engineering.- Some Definitions and Problems.- Until Recently, Why Has Information Been Ignored?.- 2 The Nature of Information.- What is Information?.- Information and the Laws of Physics.- Shannons Theory of Communications.- Information and Entropy.- The Interconversion of Information and Energy.- Information as a Fundamental Property of the Universe.- Infons.- Devlins Infons.- The Evolution of the Universe.- The Evolution of Biosystems.- Conclusion.- 3 The Diversity of Information Processing.- Information Transductions.- The Human Social Information-ProcelC