Information and Interaction Eddington, Wheeler, and the Limits of Knowledge

In this essay collection, leading physicists, philosophers, and historians attempt to fill the empty theoretical ground in the foundations of information and address the related question of the limits to our knowledge of the world. Over recent decades, our practical approach to information and its e...

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Bibliographic Details
Other Authors: Durham, Ian T. (Editor), Rickles, Dean (Editor)
Format: eBook
Language:English
Published: Cham Springer International Publishing 2017, 2017
Edition:1st ed. 2017
Series:The Frontiers Collection
Subjects:
Online Access:
Collection: Springer eBooks 2005- - Collection details see MPG.ReNa
Description
Summary:In this essay collection, leading physicists, philosophers, and historians attempt to fill the empty theoretical ground in the foundations of information and address the related question of the limits to our knowledge of the world. Over recent decades, our practical approach to information and its exploitation has radically outpaced our theoretical understanding - to such a degree that reflection on the foundations may seem futile. But it is exactly fields such as quantum information, which are shifting the boundaries of the physically possible, that make a foundational understanding of information increasingly important. One of the recurring themes of the book is the claim by Eddington and Wheeler that information involves interaction and putting agents or observers centre stage. Thus, physical reality, in their view, is shaped by the questions we choose to put to it and is built up from the information residing at its core. This is the root of Wheeler’s famous phrase “itfrom bit.” After reading the stimulating essays collected in this volume, readers will be in a good position to decide whether they agree with this view
Physical Description:XXIII, 212 p. 22 illus., 11 illus. in color online resource
ISBN:9783319437606