Information plays a crucial role in complex systems by reducing uncertainty and determining outcomes.
Information is a physical property in the study of complex systems, providing insights into the origin of life and biological evolution.
Deep dives
The Role of Information in Complex Systems
Information plays a crucial role in complex systems, going beyond the conventional understanding of it as something that can be known or communicated. It involves the reduction of uncertainty and the narrowing down of possibilities to determine outcomes. The concept of information is closely related to the meaningful communication between individuals, where information carries specific meaning and can be copied and shared. A fascinating aspect of information is its counterfactual nature, where something that did not happen can still have a causal influence on events. Understanding information in complex systems requires a different perspective than traditional physics, as it involves nonlinear causes and the recognition of the intertwined nature of objects and their common history.
Information and its Relationship to Energy
Information and energy share some similarities. Both are abstract properties, and energy can flow between materials while information can flow between different physical systems through communication. In fact, the concept of information theory, pioneered by Claude Shannon, is closely related to the concept of entropy in physics. The relationship between entropy and information suggests a potential connection between energy and information. However, information possesses unique properties related to causation, counterfactuals, and the ability to influence future events, which are not directly captured by the concept of energy alone.
Information as a Physical Property
In the study of complex systems, information is seen as a physical property rather than an abstract concept. When analyzing molecules and their complexity, information is measured based on the choices made during the assembly process. These choices involve the physical operation of making bonds and using existing structures to build objects, which reduces the possibilities and adds information. Objects themselves are evidence of the information in their environment necessary for their assembly, and more complex objects indicate a greater amount of associated information. This perspective on information as a physical attribute provides insights into the origin of life and the open-ended nature of biological evolution.
The Hard Problems of Consciousness, Matter, and Information
The hard problem of consciousness, the hard problem of matter, and the hard problem of information intersect in fascinating ways when exploring the nature of life and mind. The hard problem of consciousness relates to the subjective experience and the difficulty of scientifically explaining it. The hard problem of matter questions what defines an object in the absence of interactions, as matter is only observed through interaction. The hard problem of information focuses on how abstract properties can have causal influences on physical reality. These interconnected hard problems highlight the need for new concepts and theories to understand the relationship between information, life, and the complexity of the universe.
When most of us think about information, we think of it as something we can possess or ‘know’. But what if it’s so much more than that?
In this episode, we’re joined by Sara Walker, Deputy Director of the Beyond Center for Fundamental Concepts in Science, Associate Professor in Earth and Space Exploration and Complex Adaptive Systems at Arizona State University, and External Faculty at the Santa Fe Institute. Sara is going to examine information and the critical role it plays in complex systems.
