Information Flow: The Logic of Distributed Systems (Paperback)

Information is a central topic in computer science, cognitive science, and philosophy. In spite of its importance in the "information age," there is no consensus on what information is, what makes it possible, and what it means for one medium to carry information about another. Drawing on ideas from mathematics, computer science, and philosophy, this book addresses the definition and place of information in society. The authors, observing that information flow is possible only within a connected distribution system, provide a mathematically rigorous, philosophically sound foundation for a science of information. They illustrate their theory by applying it to a wide range of phenomena, from file transfer to DNA, from quantum mechanics to speech act theory.

資訊是計算機科學、認知科學和哲學中的核心主題。儘管在「資訊時代」中它的重要性不言而喻，但對於資訊的定義、資訊的實現方式以及一個媒介如何攜帶關於另一個媒介的資訊，目前尚無共識。本書結合數學、計算機科學和哲學的理念，探討了資訊在社會中的定義和地位。作者們觀察到，資訊流動只能在連接的分配系統內實現，並為資訊科學提供了一個具有數學嚴謹性和哲學基礎的理論基礎。他們通過將這一理論應用於各種現象，從文件傳輸到DNA，從量子力學到言談行為理論，來證明他們的理論。