information and information structures

Mon Apr 9 01:21:10 EDT 2007

Dear David, 

In reaction to your paper entitled "Outline of a new model of information
contents and structure," let me shortly react. 

I would be inclined to think about information and information structures in
terms of the dimensionality of the probability distribution. For example, a
structure requires a network and thus a two-dimensional matrix can contain
this information. An information system would additionally require that the
structure is extended along the time axis and this would lead to matrices at
each moment of time and thus a three-dimensional cube of information would
be required. Unstructured information can be considered as a vector. One can
extend beyond a three-dimensional array towards a hyper-cube of information.

In  <http://www.leydesdorff.net/evolcomm/index.htm> The Evolution of
Communication Systems, Int. J. Systems Research and Information Science 6
(1994) 219-30. I elaborated this scheme as follows: 

Table I Organization of concepts in relation to degrees of freedom in the
probability distribution  
  _____  

                first           second          third           fourth

                dimension       dimension       dimension       dimension 

operation       variation       selection       stabilization
self-organization 

nature          entropy;        extension;      localized       identity or

                disturbance     network         trajectory      regime 

character       probabilistic;  deterministic;  reflexive;      globally 

of              uncertain       structural      reconstructiv   organized; 

operation                                                       resilient 

appearance      instantaneous   spatial;        historically    hyper-cycle
in                  

                and volatile    multi-variate   contingent      space and
time 

unit of         change in       latent          stabilities     virtual 

observation     terms of        positions       during          expectations

                relations                       history 

type of         descriptive     multi-variate   time-series     non-linear 

analysis        registration    analysis        analysis        dynamics
  _____  

The complexity of the declared information system (the data) thus determines
the type of analysis which is possible. (In my book The Sociology of
Communication (2003), this scheme is discussed on pp. 99 ff.)

With best wishes,  

Loet 

  _____  

Loet Leydesdorff 
Amsterdam School of Communications Research (ASCoR)
Kloveniersburgwal 48, 1012 CX Amsterdam
Tel.: +31-20- 525 6598; fax: +31-20- 525 3681 
 <mailto:loet at leydesdorff.net> loet at leydesdorff.net ;
<http://www.leydesdorff.net/> http://www.leydesdorff.net/ 

  _____  

From: ASIS&T Special Interest Group on Metrics
[mailto:SIGMETRICS at listserv.utk.edu] On Behalf Of David E. Wojick
Sent: Sunday, April 08, 2007 7:12 PM
To: SIGMETRICS at listserv.utk.edu
Subject: Re: [SIGMETRICS] The communication of meaning in social systems;
preprint version available

Dear Loet,

It is delightful to get something like this on a holiday. I take it this is
what the phenomenology of meaning looks like these days. Not that I pretend
to understand phenomenology, so please correct me if I am wrong. I also take
it that the interpretation of the parameters in the very interesting
equations, as well as the technical concepts being used, is to be found in
the cited references.

Since I have also presented a theory of the nature of information here, I
thought it appropriate that I speculate upon the difference between this
body of work and my own.
CF:
http://www.bydesign.com/powervision/Mathematics_Philosophy_Science/informati
on.html

My work derives from the tradition of analytical philosophy and mathematical
logic begun by Russell and Wittgenstein. I suggest that it is looking at
meaning in a very narrow sense, as exemplified by the atomic proposition.
The phenomenological tradition is looking at meaning in a very broad sense,
what it is to be meaningful if you like.

The human condition is rich enough to accommodate both approaches and so I
do not see any disagreement here between us. The question is if there is any
connection?

Best regards,

David

The  <http://www.leydesdorff.net/meaning0704/index.htm> communication of
meaning in social systems

 <http://www.leydesdorff.net/meaning0704/meaning0704.pdf> pdf-version

Abstract

The sociological domain is different from the psychological one insofar as
meaning can be communicated at the supra-individual level (Schütz, 1932;
Luhmann, 1984). The computation of anticipatory systems enables us to
distinguish between these domains in terms of weakly and strongly
anticipatory systems with a structural coupling between them (Maturana,
1978). Anticipatory systems have been defined as systems which entertain
models of themselves (Rosen, 1984). The model provides meaning to the
modeled system from the perspective of hindsight, that is, by advancing
along the time axis towards possible future states. Strongly anticipatory
systems construct their own future states (Dubois, 1998a and b). The
dynamics of weak and strong anticipations can be simulated as incursion and
hyper-incursion, respectively. Hyper-incursion generates “horizons of
meaning” (Husserl, 1929) among which choices have to be made by incursive
agency.

Loet Leydesdorff & Sander Franse
  _____  

Amsterdam School of Communications Research (ASCoR)
Kloveniersburgwal 48, 1012 CX Amsterdam
Tel.: +31-20- 525 6598; fax: +31-20- 525 3681
loet at leydesdorff.net ; http://www.leydesdorff.net/

Now available: The
<http://www.universal-publishers.com/book.php?method=ISBN&book=1581129378>
Knowledge-Based Economy: Modeled, Measured, Simulated. 385 pp.; US$ 18.95 
The
<http://www.universal-publishers.com/book.php?method=ISBN&book=1581126956>
Self-Organization of the Knowledge-Based Society; The
<http://www.universal-publishers.com/book.php?method=ISBN&book=1581126816>
Challenge of Scientometrics

-- 

"David E. Wojick, Ph.D." <WojickD at osti.gov>
Senior Consultant -- The DOE Science Accelerator
http://www.osti.gov/innovation/scienceaccelerator.pdf
http://www.osti.gov/innovation/
A strategic initiative of the Office of Scientific and Technical
Information, US Department of Energy

(540) 858-3150 
391 Flickertail Lane, Star Tannery, VA 22654 USA
http://www.bydesign.com/powervision/resume.html provides my bio and client
list. 
http://www.bydesign.com/powervision/Mathematics_Philosophy_Science/ presents
some of my own research on information structure and dynamics. 

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