Information – modern theories

Abstract

This review deviates from the usual approach to the topic of information by not focusing on Shannon’s Theory of Communication (TOC) and the related or derived concepts. In addition, we do not talk at length about information in relation to knowledge, data, communication, information processing, or similar concepts. Instead, we endeavor to reappraise our understanding of information without favoring any specific perspective. We know a lot about information, and the various conceptualizations of information presented in this paper are proof of this. Nevertheless, we also show that some lingering unresolved questions remain about the nature of information. To somewhat stem the appearance of further new concepts of information, we consider two perspectives, namely ontological and epistemic, and posit that we can potentially reduce all information variants to just these concepts. We then look at two general theories of information: the General Definition of Information (GDI) and the General Theory of Information (GTI), arguing that the GTI appears to be the better of these two options because it is more fundamental and comprehensive with deep metaphysical roots. Finally, we review some recent studies about information’s physical nature, such as for information and mass, meaningful physical information, and the persistence of information. This review, like all reviews, is selective and synthetic, but the extensive reference list provides the necessary resources to explore the discussed ideas in greater detail, as well as study the recent works on the nature of information.