On the Ontology of Information
For my metaphysics term paper, I originally sought out to answer the question of whether I, as a software engineer, actually create something. Some dreary economic Eyores like to hang their heads over the fact that manufacturing of “real things” has fled the United States in favor of various less-real things (pizza delivery, information, management, etc.), and it strikes me as something of a personal affront that my work results in nonexistent things. Moreover, the nominalist view that my work results merely in magnetic particles oriented in just-so configurations on metal platters, or in small holes burned just-so in plastic discs, is also no way to comfort oneself with the significance of one’s life work during the dark watches of the night.
Well, the idea drifed a little bit. That question is really about the ontology of software, which turns out to be a different thing from information. Software is intimately tied up with computational theory, whose ontological destiny is conjoined to the metaphysics of mathematics, partcuarly (I think) of Universal Turning Machines. At least this seems like a good direction to take were one to strike out on this analysis afresh. However, this is not the paper I wrote.
Seeking to be faithful to my title rather than my original career-justifying impluse, I stuck with analyzing information itself. Enjoy the paper. If my conclusion surprises you, please know that I share your company; I really didn’t know where things would go when I began, and I was surprised to find where they ended up. I think my analysis of the transmission and storage of information is still somewhat weak, but for now I will stand by the overall conclusion the paper reaches. Enjoy.
On the Ontology of Information (61kB)
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- Posted by Tim on Friday, January 6, 2006 at 1:26:56 pm PST
- Category: School, Philosophy
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2 Responses to “On the Ontology of Information”
Hi Tim
It’s nearly 3am and insanely windy in Boulder. Thus awakened and unable to return to sleep, I landed here at your blog and hurrah! Your paper is posted. Such good fortune. I had forgotten to ask you about it at the Metaphysics party and lo, here it is. And even better news for you: it did not put me to sleep. Quite the contrary. This has all kinds of implications. Of course, I’m not sure what they are. I’m still working on universals. Perhaps there is some connection…
Was any of that information you just read, stored in this comment block?
Do I arrive correctly at the conclusion that information only exists on pre-storage side? Once it is stored, it is only data, or facts, which are then indeed retrievable but are no longer gleaned as information?
I will refrain from the disquieted condition I might find myself in upon receiving any data you might wish to transfer to me via further comment, and try to return to regular nocturnal duties. However, if I am bleary-eyed while leading worship later this morning, I will tell Pastor Doug I was up 1/2 the night processing the data encrypted on the philosophically wealthy website of one of my classmates, and to get used to it. This is going to be a long road.
Irretrievably,
Comment Permalink | Posted on January 8th, 2006 at 4:34 am |Susan
Tim-
Comment Permalink | Posted on January 10th, 2006 at 1:14 pm |Read your essay with fascination, and (even me, with brain the size of a planet…) with dictionary at my side. Not having had the prerequisite courses, I had to take some phrases and axioms (axia?) on faith. A couple of things:
1) ephilosophers.com, sadly, is no longer available. All of the other domain extensions, however, may still be had.
2) during the reading, I nearly winked out of existence several times, although you proved one truth essential for my existence:
3) the only thing that exists is _now_ - that is where we live; neither the past nor future can exist, at least in terms of ‘information’.
4) it’s good to know where I can find a good metaphysician when I need one - they’re not even in the yellow pages.
peter