Hermitix Cybernetics and the Origin of Information with Ashley Woodward
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May 8, 2024 
Ashley Woodward, a philosophy lecturer at the University of Dundee and a founding member of the Melbourne School of Continental Philosophy, dives into the profound themes of Raymond Ruyer's 'Cybernetics and the Origin of Information.' They explore the intricate relationship between machines and humans, examining how information and consciousness intertwine. Woodward discusses the evolution of cybernetics and its significance in AI, questioning how intention influences creativity. Through philosophical lenses, he reimagines the nature of value and meaning, connecting existential debates to contemporary implications.
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Cybernetics as Mechanistic Science
- Cybernetics, as described by Norbert Wiener, is the science of communication and control across disciplines. - Royer critiques it as mechanistic, unable to explain consciousness, meaning, and the origin of information.
Telephone Talking to Itself
- Royer imagines a telephone system spontaneously talking to itself without humans and finds it absurd. - This example illustrates why cybernetics can't alone explain the origin of information.
Mixed Origin of Information
- Information has a mixed origin involving semantic meaning and structural coding. - Royer emphasizes the metaphysical dimension of semantics beyond mechanistic explanations.