Information, information systems, information society: interpretations and implications
Tóm tắt
The term “information” has become a universal and omnipresent keyword in almost all areas of our modern world—be it in science or society in general. This is not only obvious from the naming of whole scientific branches like Information Theory, Information Science or Informatics but even more from common speaking—characterising our present time and society as information age viz. information society. However, what “information” might mean, is by no means clear and there is a wide range of interpretations covering, among others, its technical, communicational, educational, mental, and scientific aspects. But is the use of the same term justified when adopted in Biology, Physics, Archaeology, Law, Communication Technology, and Informatics (to list just a few of the involved scientific branches) or do its different uses at least have some common characteristics—some sort of common denominator? Is information natural, e.g. manifesting itself as a material phenomenon residing in organisms, stars, atoms, or genes, or is it just a cultural product of human communication, thinking, and interpretation? In this article, we try to clarify some of the most important interpretations, discuss and contrast them with the Informatics point of view. Interpretations range from taking information as material, transferable signals (following Shannon’s Information Theory or the genetic approaches), treating it as a sign (following a semiotic approach), as a commercial product (now common in Web-based Information Business) to considering it a pure mental phenomenon bound to humans or human-like individuals or even to groups and societies. Based on these interpretations, we shall throw a critical glance on current trends in human science and society—focusing on the now popular concept of “information society”—and then derive some theses and guidelines for further research escorting the growth and dispersal of information technology. As it will turn out, an information society which defines itself through the number of computers, internet connections and network links is based on a very narrow, techno-centric concept of information. However, a reflection on the educational and cultural aspects of information might lead to a better-qualified society consisting of responsible and critical citizens.
Tài liệu tham khảo
Abbott R (1999) The world as information. Overload and personal design. Intellect Books, Bristol
Aktionsprogramm Deutsche Bundesregierung (2003) Ein Masterplan für Deutschlands Weg in die Informationsgesellschaft. Bundesministerien für Wirtschaft und Arbeit (Referat LP4) & Bildung und Forschung (Referat LS15), Mintzel-Druck GmbH, Hof Saale. http://www.bmbf.de/pub/aktionsprogramm_informationsgesellschaft_2006.pdf
Bar-Hillel Y, Carnap R (1953) Semantic information. Br J Phil Sci 4(14):147–157 10.1093/bjps/IV.14.147
Barkow G, Hesse W, Kittlaus H-B, Luft AL, Scheschonk G, Stülpnagel Av (1989) Begriffliche Grundlagen für die frühen Phasen der Software Entwicklung. Inf Manage 4/89:54–60
Bates MJ (2005) Information and knowledge: an evolutionary framework for information science. Inf Res 10(4):239. http://InformationR.net/ir/10-4/paper239.html, as of 07-10-31
Bateson G (1979) Mind and nature: a necessary unity. Dutton, New York
Berners-Lee T, Hendler J, Lassila O (2001) The semantic web. Sci Am 284(5):34–44 10.1038/scientificamerican0501-34
Capurro R (1978) Information. Ein Beitrag zur etymologischen und ideengeschichtlichen Begründung des Informationsbegriffs. K.G. Saur
Capurro R (1999) Foundations of information science—review and perspectives. http://www.capurro.de/tampere91.htm, as of 07-10-19
Carnap R, Bar-Hillel Y (1964) An outline of semantic information. In: Bar-Hillel Y (ed) Language and information: selected essays on their theory and application. Addison-Wesley, Reading
Engel Th, Henckel U (2008) Humans, technology and the idea of man. Poiesis & Praxis: Int J Technol Assess Ethics Sci (Special Issue) 5(3/4) (this volume)
Ethik und Sozialwissenschaften—Streitformen für Erwägungskultur. EuS, Heft 2, “Informationsbegriff und methodisch-kulturalistische Philosophie”, Westdeutscher Verlag (1998)
Falkenberg E, Hesse W, Lindgreen P, Nilsson BE, Oei JLH, Rolland C, Stamper RK, Van Assche FJM, Verrijn-Stuart AA, Voss K (1998) FRISCO—a framework of information system concepts—the FRISCO report. IFIP WG 8.1 Task Group FRISCO. Web version: http://www.uni-marburg.de/fb12/informatik/homepages/hesse/publikationen/dateien/fri-full.pdf
Hesse W (1998) Information: das Soma des ausgehenden Jahrhunderts? Reflexionen über Information, Informationssysteme und Informationsgesellschaft. In Ethik und Sozialwissenschaften 9(2):212–215
Klemm H (2003) Zur Diskussion gestellt: Ein großes Elend. Informatik Spektrum 26(4):267–273 10.1007/s00287-003-0316-2
Müller D, Ruß A, Hesse W (2008) Communication without sender or receiver? On virtualisation in the information process. Poiesis & Praxis: Int J Technol Assess Ethics Sci (Special Issue) 5(3/4) (this volume)
Nake F (1998) Information und Daten. Ethik und Sozialwissenschaften 9(2):238–239
Janich P (1998) Informationsbegriff und methodisch-kulturalistische Philosophie. In Ethik und Sozialwissenschaften 9(2):212–215
Janich P (2003) Human nature and neurosciences: a methodical cultural criticism of naturalism in the neurosciences. Poiesis Praxis 2(1):29–40
Janich P (2006) Was ist Information? Kritik einer Legende. Suhrkamp, Frankfurt/M
Ott S (2004) Information—zur Genese und Anwendung eines Begriffs. UVK Verlagsgesellschaft, Konstanz
Popper KR (1993) Objektive Erkenntnis. Ein evolutionärer Entwurf. Hamburg
Postman N (1992) Technopoly: the surrender of culture to technology, Alfred A. Knopf, New York
Rathgeber B, Gutmann M (2008) What is mirrored by mirror neuros? Poiesis & Praxis: Int J Technol Assess Ethics Sci (Special Issue) 5(3/4) (this volume)
Rechenberg P (2003) Zum Informationsbegriff der Informationstheorie. Informatik Spektrum 26.5:317–326 10.1007/s00287-003-0329-x
Reddy M (1979) The conduit metaphor—a case of frame conflict in our language about language. In: Ortony A (eds) Metaphor and thought. Cambridge University Press, London
Rheingold H (1993) The virtual community: homesteading at the electronic frontier. Addison-Wesley, Reading. Web Version. http://www.rheingold.com/vc/book/
Roszak Th (1986) The cult of information: the folklore of computers and the true art of thinking. Pantheon Books, New York
Russ A, Hesse W, Müller D (2008) Ambient information systems—do they open a new quality of IS? In Proc. 3rd EuroSIGSAND symposium 2008, Marburg/Lahn. LNI 129. Koellen-Verlag, pp 87–101 (in print)
Schneider HJ (1997) (Hrsg.): Lexikon Informatik und Datenverarbeitung. Oldenbourg, München. Version 4.0 Version 4.0
Shannon CE (1948) A mathematical theory of communication. Bell Syst Tech J 27(July, October):379–423, 623–656
Shannon CE, Weaver W (1963) The mathematical theory of communication. University of Illinois Press, Champaign (1949), republished as paperback (1949), republished as paperback
Stoyan H (2003) Information in der Informatik. In: Kuhlen R, Seeger T (eds) Grundlagen der praktischen Information und Dokumentation. Saur, Munich. 2004 2004
Syed T, Bölker M, Gutmann M (2008) Genetic ‘‘information’’ or the indomitability of a persisting scientific metaphor. Poiesis & Praxis: Int J Technol Assess Ethics Sci (Special Issue) 5(3/4) (this volume)
Völz H (1971) Einige Grundlagen zum Informationsbegriff. Elektronische Informationsverarbeitung und Kybernetik EIK 7(2):95–106
Weaver W (1949) Recent contributions to the mathematical theory of communication. In: Shannon and Weaver (1963, pp 1–28)
Weizenbaum J (1976) Computer power and human reason: from judgment to calculation. Freeman, San Francisco
Wiener N (1948) Cybernetics, or control and communication in the animal and in the machine. New York
Wikipedia (2007) Information. http://de.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Information&oldid=33670304, as of 07-10-31