scholarly journals Constructor theory of information

2015 ◽  
Vol 471 (2174) ◽  
pp. 20140540 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Deutsch ◽  
Chiara Marletto
Keyword(s):  
Information Theory ◽  
Quantum Information ◽  
A Priori ◽  
The Other ◽  
Theoretic Property ◽  
Physical Systems ◽  
Logical Concept ◽  
Theory Of Information ◽  
The Relationship

We propose a theory of information expressed solely in terms of which transformations of physical systems are possible and which are impossible—i.e. in constructor-theoretic terms. It includes conjectured, exact laws of physics expressing the regularities that allow information to be physically instantiated. Although these laws are directly about information, independently of the details of particular physical instantiations, information is not regarded as an a priori mathematical or logical concept, but as something whose nature and properties are determined by the laws of physics alone. This theory solves a problem at the foundations of existing information theory, namely that information and distinguishability are each defined in terms of the other. It also explains the relationship between classical and quantum information, and reveals the single, constructor-theoretic property underlying the most distinctive phenomena associated with the latter, including the lack of in-principle distinguishability of some states, the impossibility of cloning, the existence of pairs of variables that cannot simultaneously have sharp values, the fact that measurement processes can be both deterministic and unpredictable, the irreducible perturbation caused by measurement, and locally inaccessible information (as in entangled systems).

scholarly journals Another Name for Liberty: Revelation, ‘Objectivity,’ and Intellectual Freedom in Barth and Marion

Open Theology ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 430-450
Author(s):  
Kristóf Oltvai
Keyword(s):  
A Priori ◽  
The Other ◽  
Christian Theology ◽  
Intellectual Freedom ◽  
Specific Kind ◽  
Absolute Truth ◽  
Saturated Phenomenon ◽  
Other Hand ◽  
The Difference ◽  
The Relationship

Abstract Karl Barth’s and Jean-Luc Marion’s theories of revelation, though prominent and popular, are often criticized by both theologians and philosophers for effacing the human subject’s epistemic integrity. I argue here that, in fact, both Barth and Marion appeal to revelation in an attempt to respond to a tendency within philosophy to coerce thought. Philosophy, when it claims to be able to access a universal, absolute truth within history, degenerates into ideology. By making conceptually possible some ‚evental’ phenomena that always evade a priori epistemic conditions, Barth’s and Marion’s theories of revelation relativize all philosophical knowledge, rendering any ideological claim to absolute truth impossible. The difference between their two theories, then, lies in how they understand the relationship between philosophy and theology. For Barth, philosophy’s attempts to make itself absolute is a produce of sinful human vanity; its corrective is thus an authentic revealed theology, which Barth articulates in Christian, dogmatic terms. Marion, on the other hand, equipped with Heidegger’s critique of ontotheology, highlights one specific kind of philosophizing—metaphysics—as generative of ideology. To counter metaphysics, Marion draws heavily on Barth’s account of revelation but secularizes it, reinterpreting the ‚event’ as the saturated phenomenon. Revelation’s unpredictability is thus preserved within Marion’s philosophy, but is no longer restricted to the appearing of God. Both understandings of revelation achieve the same epistemological result, however. Reality can never be rendered transparent to thought; within history, all truth is provisional. A concept of revelation drawn originally from Christian theology thus, counterintuitively, is what secures philosophy’s right to challenge and critique the pre-given, a hermeneutic freedom I suggest is the meaning of sola scriptura.

scholarly journals Super-additivity and entanglement assistance in quantum reading

2017 ◽  
Vol 17 (7&8) ◽  
pp. 611-622
Author(s):  
Cosmo Lupo ◽  
Stefano Pirandola
Keyword(s):  
Information Theory ◽  
Quantum Information ◽  
Maximum Rate ◽  
Communication Protocol ◽  
Optical Memory ◽  
Quantum Information Theory ◽  
Memory Model ◽  
Physical Systems ◽  
Digital Memory ◽  
Data Density

Quantum information theory determines the maximum rates at which information can be transmitted through physical systems described by quantum mechanics. Here we consider the communication protocol known as quantum reading. Quantum reading is a protocol for retrieving the information stored in a digital memory by using a quantum probe, e.g., shining quantum states of light to read an optical memory. In a variety of situations using a quantum probe enhances the performance of the reading protocol in terms of fidelity, data density and energy efficiency. Here we review and characterize the quantum reading capacity of a memory model, defined as the maximum rate of reliable reading. We show that, like other quantities in quantum information theory, the quantum reading capacity is super-additive. Moreover, we determine conditions under which the use of an entangled ancilla improves the performance of quantum reading.

scholarly journals The Relationship between Autopoiesis Theory and Biosemiotics: On Philosophical Suppositions as Bases for a New Information Theory

2011 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 424-433
Author(s):  
Yohei Nishida
Keyword(s):  
Information Theory ◽  
Systems Theory ◽  
Unified Theory ◽  
Methodological Issues ◽  
Basic Principles ◽  
New Information ◽  
Theory Of Information ◽  
The Relationship

This paper discusses methodological issues related to a possible framework for a unified theory of information. We concentrate on the relationship between systems theory and semiotics, or to put it more concretely, the relationship between autopoiesis theory and biosemiotics. These theories give rise to two decisive viewpoints on life that seem poten- tially contradictory and consequently provoke a fruitful controversy, which is conducive for the consideration of philosophical suppositions vital for a new information theory. The following three points are derived in the context of basic principles: epistemology rather than ontology, constructivism rather than metaphysics, meta-theoretical recursiveness rather than linear consistency.

scholarly journals The Other in Science Fiction as a Problem for Social Theory

2020 ◽  
Vol 19 (4) ◽  
pp. 61-81
Author(s):  
Vladimir Kamnev ◽  
◽  
Vladimir Bystrov
Keyword(s):  
Science Fiction ◽  
Indigenous Population ◽  
A Priori ◽  
The Other ◽  
Frontier Myth ◽  
Unknown Reason ◽  
Concept Of Truth ◽  
Other World ◽  
The One ◽  
The Relationship

The paper discusses science fiction literature in its relation to some aspects of the socio-anthropological problem, such as the representation of the Other. Given the diversity of sci-fi genres, a researcher always deals either with the direct representation of the Other (a creature different from an existing human being), or with its indirect, mediated form when the Other, in the original sense of this term, is revealed to the reader or viewer through the optics of some Other World. The article describes two modes of representing the Other by sci-fi literature, conventionally designated as scientist and anti-anthropic. The scientist rep-resentation constructs exclusively-rational premises for the relationship with the Other. Edmund Hus-serl’s concept of truth, which is the same for humans, non-humans, angels, and gods, can be considered as its historical and philosophical correlate. The anti-anthropic representation, which is more attractive to sci-fi authors, has its origins in the experience of the “disenchantment” of the world characteristic of mod-ern man, especially in the tragic feeling of incommensurability of a finite human existence and the infinity of the cosmic abysses. The historical and philosophical correlate of this anti-anthropic representation can be found in Kant’s teaching of a priori cognition forms, which may be different for other thinking beings. The model of an attitude to the Other therefore cannot be based on rational foundations. As a literary ex-ample where these two ways of representing the Other are found, we propose the analysis of The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury, which, on the one hand, offers the fictional extrapolation of the colonization of North America and the inevitable contacts with its indigenous population. On the other hand, The Martian Chronicles depicts a powerful and technologically advanced Martian civilization, which disap-pears for some unknown reason, or ceases to contact the settlers. The combination of these two ways of representing the Other allows Bradbury to effectively romanticize and mystify the unique historical experience of colonization, thus modifying the Frontier myth.

scholarly journals Towards a critical theory of information

2009 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 243-292
Author(s):  
Christian Fuchs
Keyword(s):  
Information Theory ◽  
Critical Theory ◽  
Critical Information ◽  
Internet Economy ◽  
Theory Of Information ◽  
And Control ◽  
Relationship Of ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Nancy Fraser ◽  
Class Play

Critical information theory is an endeavour that focuses ontologically on the analysis of information in the context of domination, asymmetrical power relations, exploitation, oppression, and control by employing epistemologically all theoretical and/or empirical means necessary for doing so in order to contribute at the praxeological level to the establishment of a participatory, co-operative society. Three foundational aspects of a critical theory of information are discussed in this paper: the relation of immanence and transcendence, the relation of base and superstructure, and ideology critique.The logical figure of immanent transcendence is based on the dialectic of essence and existence and poses a viable counterpart to positivistic and postmodern definitions of critique. As an example for the logic of immanent transcendence to critical information theory, a contradiction of the Internet economy is discussed.The debate on redistribution and recognition between critical theorists Nancy Fraser and Axel Honneth gives the opportunity to renew the discussion of the relationship of base and superstructure in critical social theory. Critical information theory needs to be aware of economic, political, and cultural demands that it needs to make in struggles for ending domination and oppression, and of the unifying role that the economy and class play in these demands and struggles. Objective and subjective information concepts are based on the underlying worldview of reification. Reification endangers human existence. Information as process and relation enables political and ethical alternatives that have radical implications for society.

scholarly journals Exclusion and Underdetermined Qualia

Entropy ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 21 (4) ◽  
pp. 405 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kyumin Moon
Keyword(s):  
Information Theory ◽  
Theoretical Foundation ◽  
Practical Application ◽  
Scientific Content ◽  
Physical Systems ◽  
Theoretical Structure ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Integrated Information Theory ◽  
Integrated Information

Integrated information theory (IIT) asserts that both the level and the quality of consciousness can be explained by the ability of physical systems to integrate information. Although the scientific content and empirical prospects of IIT have attracted interest, this paper focuses on another aspect of IIT, its unique theoretical structure, which relates the phenomenological axioms with the ontological postulates. In particular, the relationship between the exclusion axiom and the exclusion postulate is unclear. Moreover, the exclusion postulate leads to a serious problem in IIT: the quale underdetermination problem. Therefore, in this paper, I will explore answers to the following three questions: (1) how does the exclusion axiom lead to the exclusion postulate? (2) How does the exclusion postulate cause the qualia underdetermination problem? (3) Is there a solution to this problem? I will provide proposals and arguments for each question. If successful, IIT can be confirmed with respect to, not only its theoretical foundation, but also its practical application.

Postmodern Anti-Enlightenment Positions

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vincenzo Ferrone
Keyword(s):  
Martin Heidegger ◽  
A Priori ◽  
The Other ◽  
Complex Relationship ◽  
Final Phase ◽  
Ernst Cassirer ◽  
Epistemological Foundation ◽  
The Enlightenment ◽  
Other Hand ◽  
The Relationship

This chapter examines the debate between Ernst Cassirer and Martin Heidegger over the question “What is man?”—and thus, indirectly, the authentic meaning of Immanuel Kant's philosophy—and relates it to Pope Benedict XVI's views on the complex relationship between Christianity and Enlightenment culture. What was at stake in the Cassirer–Heidegger debate was the very existence of the Enlightenment and the legitimacy of its epistemological foundation. Cassirer accepted the need to redefine the relationship between the a priori and experience, in view of an idealistic conception of Kantian transcendentalism that was both more complex and problematic. His position remained firmly within the universalistic tradition of Enlightenment humanism. Heidegger, on the other hand, saw the Enlightenment as the final phase of the vilified trajectory of Western metaphysics that had resulted in the enthronement of man. The chapter also considers the Catholic Church's anti-Enlightenment positions.

Quantum information theory

2009 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen Barnett
Keyword(s):  
Information Theory ◽  
Quantum Mechanics ◽  
Quantum Information ◽  
Quantum Information Theory ◽  
Quantum Circuits ◽  
Classical Counterpart ◽  
Theory Of Information ◽  
The Many

The astute reader might have formed the impression that quantum in formation science is a rather qualitative discipline because we have not, as yet, explained how to quantify quantum information. There are three good reasons for leaving this important question until the final chapter. Firstly, quantum information theory is technically demanding and to treat it at an earlier stage might have suggested that our subject was more complicated than it is. Secondly, there is the fact that many of the ideas in the field, such as teleportation and quantum circuits, are unfamiliar and it was important to present these as simply as possible. Finally, and most importantly, the theory of quantum information is not yet fully developed. It has not yet reached, in particular, the level of completeness of its classical counterpart. For this reason we can answer only some of the many questions we would like a quantum theory of information to address. Having said this, we can say that however, there are beautiful and useful mathematical results and it seems certain that these will continue to form an important part of the theory as it develops. We noted in the introduction to Chapter 1 that ‘quantum mechanics is a probabilistic theory and so it was inevitable that a quantum information theory would be developed’. A presentation of at least the beginnings of a quantitative theory is the objective of this final chapter. The entropy or information derived from a given probability distribution is, as we have seen, a convenient measure of the uncertainty associated with the distribution. If many of the probabilities are large, so that many of the possible events are comparably likely, then the entropy will be large. If one probability is close to unity, however, then the entropy will be small. It is convenient to introduce entropy in quantum mechanics as a measure of the uncertainty, or lack of knowledge, of the form of the state vector. If we know that our system is in a particular pure state then the associated uncertainty or entropy should be zero. For mixed states, however, it will take a non-zero value.

scholarly journals Complexity and Its Relation to Variation

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Diana Forker
Keyword(s):  
Information Theory ◽  
Information Content ◽  
Concrete Research ◽  
The Other ◽  
Linguistic Variation ◽  
Linguistic Complexity ◽  
Research Questions ◽  
The One ◽  
Conceptual Foundations ◽  
The Relationship

This paper is concerned with the relationship between complexity and variation. The main goal is to lay out the conceptual foundations and to develop and systematize reasonable hypotheses such as to set out concrete research questions for future investigations. I first compare how complexity and variation have synchronically been studied and what kinds of questions have been asked in those studies. Departing from earlier surveys of different definitions of complexity, here I classify the majority of complexity studies into two broad types based on two ways of defining this concept. The first type determines and measures linguistic complexity by counting numbers of items (e.g., linguistic forms or rules and interactions between forms). The second type makes use of transparency and the principle of One-Meaning–One-Form. In addition, linguistic complexity has been defined by means of concepts from information theory, namely in terms of description length or information content, but those studies are in the minority. Then I define linguistic variation as a situation when two or more linguistic forms have identical or largely identical meaning and it is possible to use either the one or the other variant. Variation can be free or linguistically or socially conditioned. I argue that there is an implicational relationship between complexity of the first type that is defined in terms of numbers of items and variation. Variation is a type of complexity because it implies the existence of more than one linguistic form per meaning. But not every type of complexity involves variation because complexity defined on the basis of transparency does not necessarily imply the existence of more than one form. In the following I discuss extralinguistic factors that (possibly) have an impact on socially conditioned variation and/or complexity and can lead to an increase or decrease of complexity and/or variation. I conclude with suggestions of how to further examine the relationship between complexity and variation.

scholarly journals Towards a critical theory of information

2009 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 243-292 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christian Fuchs
Keyword(s):  
Information Theory ◽  
Critical Theory ◽  
Critical Information ◽  
Internet Economy ◽  
Theory Of Information ◽  
And Control ◽  
Relationship Of ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Nancy Fraser ◽  
Class Play

Critical information theory is an endeavour that focuses ontologically on the analysis of information in the context of domination, asymmetrical power relations, exploitation, oppression, and control by employing epistemologically all theoretical and/or empirical means necessary for doing so in order to contribute at the praxeological level to the establishment of a participatory, co-operative society. Three foundational aspects of a critical theory of information are discussed in this paper: the relation of immanence and transcendence, the relation of base and superstructure, and ideology critique.The logical figure of immanent transcendence is based on the dialectic of essence and existence and poses a viable counterpart to positivistic and postmodern definitions of critique. As an example for the logic of immanent transcendence to critical information theory, a contradiction of the Internet economy is discussed.The debate on redistribution and recognition between critical theorists Nancy Fraser and Axel Honneth gives the opportunity to renew the discussion of the relationship of base and superstructure in critical social theory. Critical information theory needs to be aware of economic, political, and cultural demands that it needs to make in struggles for ending domination and oppression, and of the unifying role that the economy and class play in these demands and struggles. Objective and subjective information concepts are based on the underlying worldview of reification. Reification endangers human existence. Information as process and relation enables political and ethical alternatives that have radical implications for society.

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