Let me support Pedro's main theses: Pedro: we live in a period comparable to that as Zero was evolved. Yes, we do. The concept is unusual, expresses a feeling that we can share, has no clear understanding yet, is in some ways revolutionary. Pedro: The Zero as a concept lies behind all numbers. Its properties can be figured out by thinking, because as a sensual experience it is not there. Yes, we can recognise the relative background, even if there is no content before the background. Pedro: There exists a central rule / idea / algorithm / logos / divine will / any_other_name that drives a.o. the cell. This rule / idea / etc. could well be transcendent over all and everything that is living / existing /spoken about / . This is what we want to find. Yes, there appears to be a fundamental governing relation among the holograms in our brains, which is interindividual. So we can talk about and understand each other as we talk about the order among the concepts in my, your, his, any other's head.
If there is a general order, then we can recognise it. Let us first look into what we do in order to avoid recognition. The defence mechanisms of the brain have been talked about much already. Here, they show up again, as we strictly decline to revisit what we have been told at the tender age of 6 years. There is a multitude to rules of thinking. Once learnt, they stay. Again, Pedro hits the point with "after a few centuries" people have - after much harrump and khrm - embraced the idea of Zero. So we do the real science here, l'art pour l'art. In a few centuries, people will say: "not bad, the idea." Maybe they will also say other remarks. One more point: Zero is extremely practical to use. What a pity for those few centuries between unearthing the idea and using it as a common reference background (something to zero in on). That would be the average meaning of a symbol, which is of course as useless as "a Zero" as such. If one does not know the context of a Zero, it does indeed not shine much, as a Zero. So it is with information, too. If one does not know its context, the information is useless. Anyway, nice discussion starting. Is there computing power available anywhere among the esteemed colleagues? Karl 2007/10/7, Loet Leydesdorff <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>: > > Dear Bob and colleagues, > > Although I know that this comment was made in responding to another > comment, let me react here because I think that this is not correct: > > The point I am making is that organization is a form of information which > Shannon theory does not recognize. > > > Shannon's theory is a mathematical theory which can be used in an > application context (e.g., biology, electrical engineering) as a > methodology. This has been called entropy statistics or, for example, > statistical decomposition analysis (Theil, 1972). The strong methodology > which it provides may enable us to answer theoretical questions in the field > of application. > > An organization at this level of abstraction can be considered as a > network of relations and thus be represented as a matrix. (Network analysis > operates on matrices.) A matrix can be considered as a two-dimensional > probability distribution which contains an uncertainty. This uncertainty can > be expressed in terms of bits of information. Similarly, for all the > submatrices (e.g., components and cliques) or for any of the row or column > vectors. Thus, one can recognize and study organization using Shannon > entropy-measures. > > The results, of course, have still to be appreciated in the substantive > domain of application, but they can be informative to the extent of being > counter-intuitive. > > Best wishes, > > > Loet > ------------------------------ > Loet Leydesdorff > Amsterdam School of Communications Research (ASCoR) > Kloveniersburgwal 48, 1012 CX Amsterdam > Tel.: +31-20- 525 6598; fax: +31-20- 525 3681 > [EMAIL PROTECTED] ; http://www.leydesdorff.net/ > > Now available: *The Knowledge-Based Economy: Modeled, Measured, > Simulated*<http://www.universal-publishers.com/book.php?method=ISBN&book=1581129378>. > 385 pp.; US$ 18.95 > *The Self-Organization of the Knowledge-Based > Society*<http://www.universal-publishers.com/book.php?method=ISBN&book=1581126956> > *; **The Challenge of > Scientometrics*<http://www.universal-publishers.com/book.php?method=ISBN&book=1581126816> > > > > > _______________________________________________ > fis mailing list > fis@listas.unizar.es > http://webmail.unizar.es/mailman/listinfo/fis > >
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