Smits, Jeroen (2026) The Geometry of Information: Shape, fit, and the emergence of meaning. [Preprint]
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Abstract
This paper develops an integrated view of information and meaning based on two central ideas: information is shape and meaning is fit. By shape we mean structured form that can fit into other forms and, by fitting, change what happens next. Meaning is the success of that fitting in a specific context: how a pattern becomes usable when it couples to other patterns and guides action, prediction, coordination, or further change. Because no two things are exactly the same, fit requires tolerance. To connect effectively, shapes only need to be similar enough. This also implies that fit can be better or worse, so meaning comes in degrees and can shift over time. In this view, what exists is never “raw”: every stable form carries forward the structure left by earlier interactions. Information remains preserved as long as the structures that carry it stay similar enough to be recognized and reused. Genes, brains, and books are different media in which the same phenomenon occurs: history taking form. And although meaning is most vivid for observers, the same logic applies to non-living patterns, such as a mountain slope that channels water or a key that fits a lock.
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| Item Type: | Preprint | ||||||
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| Keywords: | Information as shape . Meaning as fit . Succesful coupling . Graded meaning . Cross-carrier identity . History taking form | ||||||
| Subjects: | General Issues > Scientific Metaphysics Specific Sciences > Cognitive Science Specific Sciences > Computation/Information |
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| Depositing User: | Dr Jeroen Smits | ||||||
| Date Deposited: | 30 Mar 2026 13:47 | ||||||
| Last Modified: | 30 Mar 2026 13:47 | ||||||
| Item ID: | 28773 | ||||||
| Subjects: | General Issues > Scientific Metaphysics Specific Sciences > Cognitive Science Specific Sciences > Computation/Information |
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| Date: | 30 March 2026 | ||||||
| URI: | https://philsci-archive.pitt.edu/id/eprint/28773 |
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