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We are surrounded by information. Even the most routine situations in which we find ourselves conceal a hidden information flow. Every step we take, a host of signals meet us, providing information about what is happening in other parts of reality. The cherry tree in bloom reveals that spring has arrived. The footprint left on wet sand indicates that someone has walked along the beach. A red traffic light signals that we must bring our car to a halt.

In The Phenomenon of Information , author Mario Pérez-Montoro addresses the problems of providing a theoretical explanation of how a signal carries informational content, how to identify its characteristics, and how to define the mechanisms for describing it. To do this, Pérez-Montoro examines several theoretical approaches to the phenomenon of information: the mathematical theory of communication, Dretske's approach, and the relational theory of meaning. A critique of these efforts leads to the author's definition of informational content, named "the extensional approach," which is designed to overcome the conceptual limitations of the previous theories. The author proposes that his definition might serve as a basis on which a satisfactory analysis of the concept of information can be developed.

Tabla de contenidos provista por Syndetics

• Acknowledgments(p. vii)
• Introduction. The Scope and Characteristics of the Phenomenon of Information(p. 1)
• 1 Introduction(p. 1)
• 2 Description of Information Flow(p. 4)
• 3 Aim and Scope of This Work(p. 15)
• Chapter 1 The Mathematical Theory of Communication: Constraints for a Semantics of Information(p. 21)
• 1 Introduction(p. 21)
• 2 The Amount of Information(p. 23)
• 3 Amount of Information and Information Flow(p. 32)
• 4 Mathematical Constraints and Informational Content(p. 43)
• Chapter 2 Dretske's Analysis of Information: A Semantic Approach in Probabilistic Terms(p. 57)
• 1 Introduction(p. 57)
• 2 The Dretskean Approach(p. 59)
• 3 Difficulties with Dretske's Approach(p. 86)
• 4 Summary and Conclusions(p. 128)
• Chapter 3 The Relational Theory of Meaning: A Proposal for a Global Semantics of Information(p. 141)
• 1 Introduction(p. 141)
• 2 A New Conceptual Framework: The Relational Theory of Meaning(p. 143)
• 3 Linguistic Meaning and Informational Content(p. 156)
• 4 Agents and Informational Content(p. 168)
• 5 The Relational Theory of Meaning versus Dretske's Definition of Informational Content(p. 176)
• 6 Reliability, Fallibility, and Constraints(p. 182)
• 7 Summary and Conclusions(p. 190)
• Chapter 4 Toward a New Definition of Informational Content: The Extensional Approach(p. 199)
• 1 Introduction(p. 199)
• 2 The Extensional Approach(p. 201)
• 3 Channels, Reliability, and Fallibility(p. 209)
• 4 The Extensional Approach versus the Relational Theory of Meaning and the Dretskean Approach(p. 217)
• 5 Pure Informational Content and Incremental Informational Content(p. 228)
• 6 Summary and Conclusions(p. 256)
• Bibliography(p. 269)
• Index(p. 283)
• About the Author(p. 287)

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CHOICE Review

Perez-Montoro's highly detailed book provides a synthesis of today's key theoretical work in the field of information transmission and flow. This work is organized in chapters that build on each other in a manner that highlights strengths and weaknesses of each theory. By providing well-described examples and critical definitions, the introduction lays a solid foundation for topics discussed in following chapters. Regularly, in-depth examples are provided that demonstrate how various principles and theories interact. A chapter is devoted to each of the book's four main areas of emphasis: mathematical theory of communication, Dretske's analysis of information, relational theory of meaning, and development of a new definition of informational content. The author argues that by understanding the process of information flow, the reader can then better understand sources of misinformation. By including tables, equations, and diagrams, Perez-Montoro (information science, Internet Interdisciplinary Institute, Universitat de Barcelona, Spain) convincingly demonstrates principles. Compared to other available works in English in this field, this book provides a critically needed update in regard to theory and technology. Appropriate for academic libraries, this extensive work includes detailed notes. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through faculty. K. J. Whitehair University of Kansas Medical Center

Notas de autor provistas por Syndetics

Mario Perez-Montoro is professor in the Department of Information Science at the Universitat de Barcelona.