Pragmatic Information as a Unifying Biological Concept
Information September 11, 2014 DOI: 10.3390/info5030451 via DOAJ
Summary
Pragmatic information, as interpreted by Roederer, is a concept that treats information and information processing as exclusive attributes of biological systems tied to the definition of life itself. This paper argues that this notion can serve as a unifying concept for a future science of information. The author applies pragmatic information to four areas: proposing an ontology for quantum mechanics based on a modified Bohmian interpretation that meets all conditions of pragmatic information; distinguishing natural living systems from artifacts and non-living systems, thereby arguing against Strong Artificial Intelligence; updating Chalmers's Double-aspect Theory of Information to better explain its physical aspect; and offering a new account of causation that differentiates biological causation from causation in the abiotic natural world.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Keywords | Pragmatic information Biological systems Quantum interpretation Artificial intelligence Phenomenal consciousness |
| Citations | 3 |
| Key finding | Pragmatic information, as an exclusive attribute of biological systems, can serve as a unifying concept for a science of information and provides new accounts in quantum interpretation, artificial intelligence, phenomenal consciousness, and biological causation. |
Abstract
This paper aims to introduce a developed reading of Roederer’s interpretation of pragmatic information as a good candidate for a Unifying Information Concept required for an as-yet-unavailable Science of Information. According to pragmatic information, information and information processing are exclusive attributes of biological systems related to the very definition of life. I will apply the notion to give new accounts in the following areas: (1) quantum interpretation: based on a modified version of David Bohm’s interpretation of quantum mechanics, I propose an ontological, information-based interpretation of quantum mechanics which, unlike Roederer’s interpretation, satisfies all conditions of pragmatic information; (2) artificial intelligence: the notion successfully distinguishes natural living systems from artifacts and natural non-living systems, providing a context to pose an information-based argument against the thesis of Strong Artificial Intelligence; (3) phenomenal consciousness: I will use pragmatic information to modify and update Chalmers’s Double-aspect Theory of Information to be explanatorily more powerful regarding the physical aspect of his theory; (4) causation: based on pragmatic information, I pose a new account of causation which differentiates causation in biology from causation in natural abiotic world.