We address the nature of information from a systemic structural point of view. Starting from the Natural hierarchy of living systems, we elucidate its decomposition into two partial hierarchies associated with its extant levels and inter-level regions, respectively. External observation of a hierarchical system involves the generation of approximate hyperscalar representations of these two partials, which then reintegrate to give a singular metascalar result. We relate Havel{\textquoteright}s categories of reality and Peirce{\textquoteright}s categories of experience to this result, and indicate that the ultimate result of the reintegration of hyperscalar data and context is a sign which is information.
Cottam, R, Ranson, W & Vounckx, R 2016, 'Hierarchy and the Nature of Information', Information, vol. 7, no. 1, 701001, pp. 1-10. https://doi.org/10.3390/info7010001
Cottam, R., Ranson, W., & Vounckx, R. (2016). Hierarchy and the Nature of Information. Information, 7(1), 1-10. Article 701001. https://doi.org/10.3390/info7010001
@article{1cea0dc054de4cf49aee185875b9aa44,
title = "Hierarchy and the Nature of Information",
abstract = "We address the nature of information from a systemic structural point of view. Starting from the Natural hierarchy of living systems, we elucidate its decomposition into two partial hierarchies associated with its extant levels and inter-level regions, respectively. External observation of a hierarchical system involves the generation of approximate hyperscalar representations of these two partials, which then reintegrate to give a singular metascalar result. We relate Havel{\textquoteright}s categories of reality and Peirce{\textquoteright}s categories of experience to this result, and indicate that the ultimate result of the reintegration of hyperscalar data and context is a sign which is information.",
keywords = "HIERARCHY, Hyperscale, metascale, Ivan Havel, Charles Peirce, Information",
author = "Ronald Cottam and Willy Ranson and Roger Vounckx",
year = "2016",
month = jan,
day = "20",
doi = "10.3390/info7010001",
language = "English",
volume = "7",
pages = "1--10",
journal = "Information",
issn = "2078-2489",
publisher = "MDPI AG",
number = "1",
}