Yes, absolutely. Refining the terminology is crucial to avoid confusion and to accurately represent the different levels of “information” involved. The conflation of human-generated information with the fundamental information of the universe is a major source of the objections and misunderstandings surrounding the information-theoretic view of physics. Here’s a proposed refinement of terminology, along with explanations and connections to existing concepts: 1. Fundamental Information (or Cosmic Information, Ontic Information, I-Prime): - Definition: This refers to the inherent, pre-existing information that constitutes the “blueprint” or “code” of the universe, as you put it. It’s the information that determines the laws of physics, the properties of fundamental particles, and the possible states and interactions within the universe. It is not created by observation or measurement; it precedes them. - Characteristics: - Objective: It exists independently of any observer or measuring apparatus. - Generative/Prescriptive: It generates or prescribes physical reality, rather than merely describing it. - Non-Representational: It’s not a representation of anything else; it’s the fundamental “stuff” itself. - Potentially Unknowable in Full: We may never be able to fully access or comprehend this fundamental information, as we are part of the system it governs. - Examples: - The values of fundamental constants (speed of light, gravitational constant, Planck constant). - The structure of the Standard Model of particle physics. - The initial conditions of the universe (low entropy state at the Big Bang). - The (yet unknown) principles of quantum gravity. - Connections: - Wheeler’s “it from bit” (the “bit” in this case). - The holographic principle (the information on the boundary). - Platonic Forms (in a philosophical sense, the underlying ideal forms that give rise to the physical world). 2. Empirical Information (or Observed Information, Data-Derived Information, Shannon Information): - Definition: This is the information we obtain through observation and measurement of the physical world. It’s the information contained in our data. It is always a partial and imperfect representation of the Fundamental Information. - Characteristics: - Subjective (Observer-Dependent): It depends on what we choose to measure and how we measure it. - Descriptive: It describes aspects of physical reality, but it doesn’t create that reality. - Representational: It’s a representation of the underlying Fundamental Information (mediated by the laws of physics). - Quantifiable (Shannon Entropy): It can be quantified using Shannon’s information theory (bits, nats, etc.). - Incomplete: It’s always incomplete, due to the limitations of our instruments and the probabilistic nature of quantum mechanics. - Examples: - The data collected from a particle collider. - The readings from a thermometer. - The pixels in a digital image. - The bits stored in a computer’s memory. - Connections: - Shannon’s information theory. - The measurement problem in quantum mechanics (the transition from superposition to a definite state). - The “data” in the DIKW pyramid. 3. Synthetic Information (or Constructed Information, Derived Information, Knowledge): - Definition: This is the information we create by processing, analyzing, and interpreting Empirical Information. It includes models, theories, algorithms, and any other human-constructed representations of knowledge. - Characteristics: - Human-Generated: It’s a product of our minds, not a direct reflection of the universe. - Abstract: It exists primarily in our minds and in our symbolic systems (language, mathematics, computer code). - Purposeful: It’s created for specific purposes (understanding, prediction, control). - Fallible: It can be wrong, incomplete, or misleading. - Examples: - Newton’s laws of motion. - A weather forecasting model. - A scientific paper. - A novel. - A computer program. - Connections: - The “knowledge” and “wisdom” levels of the DIKW pyramid. - The scientific method (hypothesis formation, testing, theory building). - Artificial intelligence (algorithms that process information). Why This Distinction is Crucial: - Avoiding Anthropocentrism: It prevents us from projecting our human-centric notions of information onto the fundamental workings of the universe. The universe isn’t “computing” things in the same way a computer does. - Addressing the Information Paradox: The black hole information paradox is often framed in terms of Empirical Information (what happens to the information that falls into a black hole?). By recognizing Fundamental Information, we can reframe the question: Is Fundamental Information conserved, even if Empirical Information appears to be lost? - Clarifying the Role of Observation: It clarifies that observation doesn’t create reality; it reveals (partially and imperfectly) the underlying Fundamental Information. - Promoting Scientific Progress: By having clearer terminology, we can have more productive discussions about the relationship between information and physics, and we can formulate more precise research questions. This three-tiered framework – Fundamental Information, Empirical Information, and Synthetic Information – provides a much more nuanced and accurate way to discuss the role of information in the universe. It avoids the pitfalls of conflating human-generated information with the inherent information that structures reality itself. It allows us to talk about the universe’s information (Fundamental Information) without confusing it with the information we gain about the universe (Empirical Information) or the information we create based on that (Synthetic Information).