Mann, Stephen (2017) Consequences of a functional account of information. [Preprint]
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Abstract
An interpretation of information in terms of the function of its user is presented and defended. Throughout, the causal interpretation is treated as a foil. The advantages of a functional interpretation are threefold: (1) Traditional emphasis on the indicative aspect of information is supplemented with its counterpart instructional aspect, nudging information closer to the contemporary conception of subpersonal content; (2) An influential distinction between causal and semantic information, argued recently to be misconceived, is further denigrated; (3) Mathematical results adverting to utility are recast in terms of function, justifying the application of information theory in cognitive science, evolutionary biology, and elsewhere.
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| Item Type: | Preprint | ||||||
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| Keywords: | Evolutionary biology; Information theory; Sender-receiver framework; Primitive content; Rate distortion theory | ||||||
| Subjects: | Specific Sciences > Biology > Evolutionary Theory Specific Sciences > Biology > Function/Teleology Specific Sciences > Computation/Information Specific Sciences > Probability/Statistics |
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| Depositing User: | Dr Stephen Francis Mann | ||||||
| Date Deposited: | 01 Sep 2017 14:28 | ||||||
| Last Modified: | 01 Sep 2017 14:28 | ||||||
| Item ID: | 13384 | ||||||
| DOI or Unique Handle: | 10.13140/RG.2.2.28344.44809 | ||||||
| Subjects: | Specific Sciences > Biology > Evolutionary Theory Specific Sciences > Biology > Function/Teleology Specific Sciences > Computation/Information Specific Sciences > Probability/Statistics |
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| Date: | 31 August 2017 | ||||||
| URI: | https://philsci-archive.pitt.edu/id/eprint/13384 |
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