The Convergence of Information Science and Information Philosophy Driven by the Information Revolution ^†

Abstract

The present-day information revolution has not only greatly enhanced human productivity and changed people’s way of life but has also opened up a new paradigm for the study of complex information science and information philosophy. With the in-depth development of information-related technologies, the concept of information has been expanded, and the definition of information has been expanded from the dimension of information and communication to the same dimension as the definition of matter and energy. Over time, driven by the information revolution, researchers in different fields have revealed the nature of information from different dimensions and promoted the integration of information science and information philosophy, respectively.

1. Introduction

The information revolution has transformed our society, revolutionizing the way we communicate and interact with the world. It encompasses advancements in communication technology and extends to various scientific, technological, and philosophical domains. In this paper, we delve into the multifaceted nature of the information revolution and its significance as a technological revolution. Initially, the information revolution was narrowly defined as advancements in communication technology, such as radio, television, and computers. However, its scope has expanded to encompass broader technological revolutions, including new energy, bio-engineering, and space technologies. These advancements are all rooted in information processing and control. The concept of information has also evolved. Initially, information was associated with the elimination of uncertainty in communication, as seen in Claude Shannon’s theory. But scholars like Norbert Wiener and John Archibald Wheeler have broadened it, considering information as something independent of matter and energy, even attributing it to the essence of existence. The information revolution has led to the integration of science and philosophy. It has transformed scientific approaches and methodologies, while also influencing philosophical paradigms. This integration is exemplified by the rise of information science and information philosophy, demonstrating the profound connection between science and philosophy in understanding information. The information revolution goes beyond a mere technological revolution. It has sparked innovation in science, technology, and humanities, challenging our perception of information as a productive force. Instead, it presents information as a fundamental perspective in discussing human development.

In conclusion, the information revolution has revolutionized communication, expanded technological boundaries, and fostered integration between science and philosophy. It has redefined our understanding of information and its impact on society. Recognizing the implications of this revolution is essential for navigating the ongoing transformations and shaping our future. Throughout this paper, we will delve into the various dimensions of the information revolution, exploring its impact on science, technology, and the humanities. By embracing information as a fundamental perspective, we can gain deeper insights into the dynamics of human development and the interconnectedness of disciplines.

2. The Information Revolution as a Technological Revolution

In a narrow sense, the information revolution refers exclusively to the revolution that took place in the field of communication. For example, from the earliest days of radio communication technology to carrier wave communication technology, television technology, and later to electronic computer technology and Internet technology. There are also those who go back even further and divide the information revolution into five generations: the first is the “use of language”, the second is the “creation of writing”, the third is the “invention of papermaking and printing”, the fourth generation is “the use of modern communication technologies such as the telegraph, telephone and television”, and the fifth generation is “the widespread use of electronic computers and the organic combination of computers and modern communication technologies” [1]. It can be said that the information revolution, in a narrow sense, has not stepped out of the traditional paradigm of information science and is only seen as an innovation in the way of communication and communication efficiency.

In a broader sense, three major technological revolutions have taken place so far: the first technological revolution, marked by the invention and application of the steam engine, the second technological revolution, marked by electrification, and the third technological revolution, marked by the invention and application of electronic computer technology. The third technological revolution includes not only computer technology, but also new energy technology, bio-engineering technology, new materials technology, space technology, etc. The third technological revolution is also seen as an information revolution because all these technologies are based on information processing and control technologies, which invariably pushes the scope of the information revolution from the field of communication to a broad level. As Manuel Castells argues, biotechnologies, including genetic engineering, should also be classified as information technologies, not only because they involve the processing of genetic information, but also because the concepts of information in these technologies have achieved a degree of integration, interaction, and even convergence with those of other information sciences [2].

3. The Expansion of the Concept of Information

On the surface, the information revolution in the broad sense is the result of the integration and interaction of different sciences and technologies and is by no means the result of a single technological or disciplinary development. In Kun Wu’s view, this broad information revolution should be described as “the rise of a cluster of disciplines in complex information systems theory”, which is not the rise or change of a single discipline, but involves the rise or change of multiple disciplines, mainly those related to information science, complexity science, and systems science, and the time span of this rise or change is also relatively large and still ongoing to date, being a long and continuous process [3]. In addition, Wu also divided the “rise of the complex information system theory discipline cluster” into three stages, taking into account the degree of development of information theory and the degree of integration with other disciplines. They are: the “period of creation of the basic theory of information system science” based on “information entropy theory”, the “period of development of information system self-organization theory” based on “dissipative structure theory, synergetics theory, hypercyclic theory, mutation theory, etc.”, and the “period of research on complexity information system theory” based on cognitive information processing theory, virtual information technology theory, quantum communication theory, nanotechnology, chaos science, information complexity theory, etc. Wu’s unique and detailed perspective on the division of information-related “disciplinary clusters” profoundly captures the essence of the information revolution, which is not only able to integrate different emerging disciplines to a high degree, but also to identify the focus of the interaction and integration of these disciplines—information. The fundamental reason for this is that Wu not only sees the technological dimension of information, but also deeply recognises its “most universal character”. As he puts it, “the informatization of science is determined by the most universal character that information has and by the most general nature of information systems” [4].

Although the ‘most universal character’ of information is inherent, its recognition by humans did not happen overnight. In 1948, Claude Shannon published his famous paper “A Mathematical Theory of Communication”, in which he used mathematical and statistical knowledge to derive the formula for the entropy of information, which he argued “plays an important role in information theory as a measure of information, choice, and uncertainty” [5]. It is common to think of Shannon’s information as the elimination of “uncertainty”. Shannon gave the concept of information a rigorous theoretical foundation, but it was confined to the specific field of communication. Nonetheless, Shannon’s doctrinal study of information is of great significance in that his work offers the possibility of expanding the concept of information. Norbert Wiener’s theory of information was more broadly adapted to the needs of the times than Shannon. According to Wiener, “Information is information, not matter and not energy” [6]. Wiener’s assertion took the concept of information one step further, making it no longer confined to the realm of scientific and technical theory, but entering the realm of philosophy as a being alongside matter and energy, with epoch-making significance. Another outstanding scientist, John Archibald Wheeler, was more radical in his orientation towards information, for he attributed the essence and origin of existence to information; everything is information, and information is the source of everything [7]. However, the limitations of Wheeler’s information-only view are clear: there is no evidence that information precedes matter, and the existence of information without matter is inconceivable. On the one hand, information is seen as the highest form of existence, and it has been transformed into the most abstract category, so that the researcher’s understanding of information is no longer limited to the concrete domain; on the other hand, it helps to reveal the universality and independence of information.

4. “Information” towards the Integration of Science and Philosophy

There is no dispute that the world is essentially a material being, but as technology advances and the times progress, the universality and fundamental nature of information is gradually revealed, so that in considering the original existence of the world we have to focus on “information”. It is also true that Wiener regarded information as something independent of matter and energy, Wheeler regarded information as the original of everything, and the German philosopher Gotthard Günther emphasized that “beyond matter and consciousness, there should be a third fundamental thing, namely information” [8]. Standing on the shoulders of these academic giants, Wu has creatively inherited and developed the theory of the general universality of information, and uniquely put forward a systematic philosophical theory of information. Moreover, Wu redefined information from the most abstract level, arguing that “Information is the philosophical category that marks indirect existence, which is the self-revealing of the way and state of existence of matter (direct existence)” [9]. Ultimately, the “most universal character” of information is revealed, i.e., the “indirect existence” character based on and co-existing with “matter (direct existence) Through the analysis of the fundamental and universal character of information, Wu summarizes the new features of the broad information revolution. He argues that the rise of the contemporary information science disciplinary cluster has brought about a two-way change in science and philosophy, and that the rise of the disciplinary cluster is not limited to the innovation within a few disciplines and the renewal of the body of knowledge but is reflected in the transformation of the entire scientific approach to research. Even the rise of the discipline itself has a direct impact on people’s view of the nature of the world, so that the changes in science caused by the discipline are ontological and methodological changes at the philosophical level, an important expression of the “philosophizing of science”. Similarly, from a philosophical point of view, the empirical methods of science and scientific paradigms have profoundly influenced the study of philosophy, especially in terms of their direct contribution to the transformation of philosophical paradigms, and, therefore, philosophy embodies a kind of “scientificization of philosophy”; in fact, both the “philosophizing of science” and the “scientificization of philosophy” reflect a high degree of integration and interaction between contemporary science and philosophy, especially in the case of information science and information philosophy. The fundamental reason lies in the fact that they reveal the essence of information from profoundly different levels, and the different concepts of information show convergence [3]. It can be seen that the concept of information, which originally belonged only to science and technology, has, in the development of the times, broken through the dimension of science and technology itself and moved towards a new paradigm in which science and philosophy are integrated. The information revolution in the broad sense has broken out of the barriers of the technological revolution and achieved a general innovation of science, technology, and humanities. We should not treat information only as a productive force of technology but should analyse it from a more fundamental ontological level and introduce it as a new fundamental perspective into the discussion of human development, and it is for this reason that the impact of the broad information revolution on human development is irreplaceable by any previous technological revolution.