[Inquiry] Peirce's Logic Of Information

[Jon Awbrey]

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PLOI.  Note 1

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I've been meaning to get back to Peirce's theory of information,
because I believe that it contains a yet-to-be-tapped potential
for many current issues, though it would take just a little bit
of drilling to exploit its resources to the fullest that we can.

In my own imagination, I tend to organize Peirce's ideas about information,
along with its relationship to comprehension and extension, in what certain
accidents of personal history lead me to think of as the "light-cone picture" --
but it's really just the two branches of a geometric cone, or the pencil that
is generated by a point in a lattice or partial order, with no real connection
to physics intended, at least, not so directly as the picture at first suggests:

` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` `
` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` o.......o ` ` Properties` ` ` ` ` `
` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` `\` ` `/` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` `
` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` \ ` / ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` `
` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` `\`/` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` `
` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` O ` ` ` ` Object` ` ` ` ` ` ` `
` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` `/`\` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` `
` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` / ` \ ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` `
` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` `/` ` `\` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` `
` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` o.......o ` ` Instances ` ` ` ` ` `
` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` `

Here, the Object could be the object of a generic concept, like "human",
or it could be the object of a dynamic concept, like "system in motion".
Then the Instances are the extension of that concept through some space,
and the Properties are the comprehension of that concept, or what would
count as the intensions of the Object in question.

We can imagine the situation where we have perfect information
about an Object, knowing all its Properties and Instances, and
we can generalize this image to the sorts of situation that we
not-so-perfect human beings far more frequently find ourselves
occupying, where we have but partial information about Objects.

I will start with some loose threads that were left hanging
the last time that I tangled with this topic, but here are
some bits of background reading for those would like to
venture into the maze on their own:

ICE.  Information = Comprehension x Extension
ICE.  http://forum.wolframscience.com/showthread.php?threadid=609
ICE.  http://stderr.org/pipermail/inquiry/2004-November/thread.html#1913

Jon Awbrey

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inquiry e-lab: http://stderr.org/pipermail/inquiry/
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