Dear John, dear colleagues,
The Demonic device is a good case to return our discussion back to the main
concepts.
Converting the information in energy and vice versa is old dream. But what
is really happened.
From my point of view, the information is kind of reflection.
The reflection is internal change in the entity after interaction with an
other.
This change may be temporal or permanent, may destroy the entity, etc.
But not every reflection is information.
Only from point of view of a given Subject (Intelligent entity !!!) the
reflection became information if there exist evidence what is reflected in
it.
For the Subject, the reflection of the source entity in the recipient one is
"information" for the source if there is corresponded reflection evidence.
The information is the triple (source, recipient: evidence) if there exist a
Subject who may perceive it.
When we say information we understand that there is a Subject who can build
the triple.
Of course, this is happened in his consciousness.
What is important in this definition is that the information is a kind of
reflection but not every reflection is information.
Information is a subjectively depended subclass of the class of reflections.
I have used the concept "Intelligent entity" and I need to explain it.
The intelligence is a synergetic combination of five features:
1. (primary) activity for external interaction. This characteristic is
basic for all open systems. Activity for external interaction means
possibility to reflect the
influences from environment and to realize impact on the environment, for
instance, to have "senses" and "actuators";
2. information reflection and information memory, i.e. possibility for
collecting the information. It is clear; memory is basic characteristic of
intelligence for “the ability to learn”;
3. information self-reflection, i.e. possibility for generating "secondary
information". The generalization (creating abstractions) is well known
characteristic of intelligence. Sometimes, we concentrate our investigations
only to this very important possibility, which is a base for learning and
recognition. The same is pointed for the intelligent system: “To reach its
objective it chooses an action based on its experiences. It can learn by
generalizing the experiences it has stored in its memories”;
4. information expectation i.e. the (secondary) information activity for
internal or external contact. This characteristic means that the prognostic
knowledge needs to be generated in advance and during the interaction with
the environment the received information is collected and compared with one
generated in advance. This not exists in usual definitions but it is the
foundation stone for definition of the concept "intelligence";
5. resolving the information expectation. This correspond to that the
"intelligence is the ability to reach ones objectives". The target is a
model of a future state (of the system) which needs to be achieved and
corresponding to it prognostic knowledge needs to be "resolved" by incoming
information.
In summary, the intelligence is creating and resolving the information
expectation and intelligent entity is one which owns such possibility.
Finally, what the Demonic device really has done?
Every interaction includes energy exchange and/or its transfer.
It is impossible to create reflection without energy using up.
In other words, creating the information is transformation of the entity
using up the energy.
The demonic device converts information to energy, i.e. converts energy to
energy.
The intelligent systems mainly do the same.
Friendly regards
Krassimir
-Original Message-
From: John Collier
Sent: Tuesday, November 16, 2010 8:37 PM
To: fis@listas.unizar.es
Subject: [Fis] Demonic device converts information to energy
http://www.nature.com/news/2010/101114/full/news.2010.606.html?WT.ec_id=NEWS-20101116
Not really surprising, but an interesting demonstration.
John
--
Professor John Collier, Acting HoS and Acting Deputy HoS
colli...@ukzn.ac.za
Philosophy and Ethics, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban 4041 South Africa
T: +27 (31) 260 3248 / 260 2292 F: +27 (31) 260 3031
http://collier.ukzn.ac.za/
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