Why Information Grows — Remains of the Day
https://www.eugenewei.com/blog/2017/4/22/why-information-grows
3 Users
31 Highlights
Summary
Information is physical order, and it is the only thing we produce. Humans are special in that we have the ability to encode large volumes of information outside our bodies. This is seen in objects like arrows, microwave ovens, and the physical Internet. We need solids in a particular temperature band to encode richer sets of information, and the value of an item is connected to physical order. Emoji increases the amount of information that can be encoded in a message, and networks facilitate trust. The personbyte and firmbyte theories explain why large chunks of knowledge and knowhow are hard to accumulate and transfer.
Top Highlights
- Meaning is derived from context and prior knowledge.
- Meaning emerges when a message reaches a life-form or a machine with the ability to process information; it is not carried in the blots of ink, sound waves, beams of light, or electric pulses that transmit information.
- In manifestations of order we see intent, in intent we interpret meaning, and in meaning we find comfort.
- It is the growth of information that unifies the emergence of life with the growth of economies, and the emergence of complexity with the origins of wealth.
- And it is the arrow of complexity—the growth of information—that marks the history of our universe and species. Billions of years ago, soon after the Big Bang, our universe did not have the capacity to generate the order that made Boltzmann marvel and which we all take for granted. Since then, our universe has been marching toward disorder, as Bolt...
Tags
#science
#life
#growth