Message-Id: <199711071614.KAA00269@dns.night.net>
Subject: Re: More on information
Date: Fri, 7 Nov 97 10:10:12 -0600
From: Mark Mills <mmmills@onramp.net>
To: "memetics list" <memetics@mmu.ac.uk>
Mario,
>May I refer again to what Luc Claeys has to say about this.
>He writes about 'instantiations of information'
I've scanned the Claeys material. I did not find anything that addressed
the process issues regarding 'information storage' which Ton raised.
Ton's premise that 'information can never be stored' is very thought
provoking.
Going to my dictionary, I've discovered 'Information' is defined to mean
'the act of informing' or 'knowledge gathered in any way.' 'Inform'
means to 'give form.' Thus, 'information storage' is defined to mean
'storing the act of giving form.' Alternatively, since 'knowledge' means
'the clear and certain perception of that which exists,' 'information
storage' can be translated to mean 'storage of true perceptions.'
I doubt that we can store 'acts' or 'perceptions.' At best we can store
reminders to act or perceive.
As to 'instantiation,' it seems to mean 'Producing a more defined version
of some object by replacing variables with values (or other variables).'
In this context, 'instantiation of information' would me 'producing a
more defined version of an act of giving form by replacing unknowns with
knowns.'
I use the term 'information storage' regularly, but Ton is quite right to
assert that all that is 'stored' is a 'carcass' or 'reminder' of
information. Off hand, it seems both 'information storage' and
'instantiation of information' are code words for some unique meaning
rather than understandable usages of the words 'information,' 'storage'
and 'instantiation.'
Mark
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