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On 3 May 2001, at 11:11, wilkins wrote:
> Robin Faichney wrote:
> >
> ....
> > According to Roy Frieden, the laws of physics are generated by the
> > attempt to minimize the difference between an entity or system's
> > own, physical information, and the information that physicists can
> > obtain about it. This account does not get awfully technical, at
> > least as regards physics---we've just gone as deep into Frieden's
> > work as we're going to go---but this distinction he draws is vital:
> > between physical information, which exists for its own sake, and the
> > more usual sort, information that's about something. (From
> > http://www.ii01.org/physics.html)
>
> It seems to me there are really only four relevant sense of
> "information" here:
>
> 1. the Fisher Information account of measurement that Frieden proposes
>
> 2. The Shannon-Weaver account that makes information of a sequence its
> (prior) probability of being encountered
>
> 3. The Kolmogorov-Chaitin account that makes information the minimal
> message length of a sequence, or the shortest algorithm that can
> generate a sequence, whichever version one prefers; and
>
> 4. the semiotic or intentional account of the Peircians, Meinongians
> and other representationalists.
>
> So far as memetics is concerned, only the first three are relevant (it
> matters not a whit is the information being transmitted is true,
> coherent or in any way of significance to any audience, so long as it
> spreads through a population).
>
> If something is a measurement of some state distinct from the
> observer, then that information (ie, the error implicit in the
> measurement) is a physical mapping of what's in the head to what's in
> the world. However, it fails to be memetic information until it is
> transmitted, and then senses 2 and 3 come into play, so we can ignore
> the two extremes: "objective" information in the sense of accuracy of
> measurement, and "subjective" information in terms of what something
> means within the head of a semantically or semiotically capable system
> (ie, some person) and concentrate instead on the dynamics of
> information transmission and the evolution of the signals so
> transmitted.
>
Actually, #4 is VERY important, for it is significance, or meaning,
that comprises a meme; that is what is propagated. Behaviors and
discourse, the engines of imitation, MEAN something to those
doing or saying them. A meme is the selfsame meme regardless
of whether it is performed, spoken or written; it is not the code or
carrier which matter (although one kind or another must obtain,
which is of no consequence), but the content; that is, memetic
identity is a matter of semantics and pragmatics, not syntactics.
>
> My $0.02
> --
> John Wilkins, Head, Communication Services, The Walter and Eliza Hall
> Institute of Medical Research, Melbourne, Australia Homo homini aut
> deus aut lupus - Erasmus of Rotterdam
> <http://www.users.bigpond.com/thewilkins/darwiniana.html>
>
> ===============================================================
> This was distributed via the memetics list associated with the
> Journal of Memetics - Evolutionary Models of Information Transmission
> For information about the journal and the list (e.g. unsubscribing)
> see: http://www.cpm.mmu.ac.uk/jom-emit
>
>
===============================================================
This was distributed via the memetics list associated with the
Journal of Memetics - Evolutionary Models of Information Transmission
For information about the journal and the list (e.g. unsubscribing)
see: http://www.cpm.mmu.ac.uk/jom-emit
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