If you are interested in understanding what information is

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Information: A Very Short Introduction
Luciano Floridi
Very Short Introductions
152 pages | 15 black and white line drawings | 174x111mm
978-0-19-955137-8 | Paperback | February 2010
Price: £7.99

  • Explores a concept central to modern science and society, from thermodynamics and DNA to our use of the mobile phone and the Internet.
  • Considers concepts such as 'Infoglut' (too much information to process) and the emergence of an information society.
  • Addresses the meaning and value of information in science, sociology, and philosophy.
  • Raises the broader social and ethical issues relating to privacy, accessibility, and ownership of information.
We live an information-soaked existence - information pours into our lives through television, radio, books, and of course, the Internet. Some say we suffer from 'infoglut'. But what is information? The concept of 'information' is a profound one, rooted in mathematics, central to whole branches of science, yet with implications on every aspect of our everyday lives: DNA provides the information to create us; we learn through the information fed to us; we relate to each other through information transfer - gossip, lectures, reading. Information is not only a mathematically powerful concept, but its critical role in society raises wider ethical issues: who owns information? Who controls its dissemination? Who has access to information? Luciano Floridi, a philosopher of information, cuts across many subjects, from a brief look at the mathematical roots of information - its definition and measurement in 'bits'- to its role in genetics (we are information), and its social meaning and value. He ends by considering the ethics of information, including issues of ownership, privacy, and accessibility; copyright and open source.For those unfamiliar with its precise meaning and wide applicability as a philosophical concept, 'information' may seem a bland or mundane topic. Those who have studied some science or philosophy or sociology will already be aware of its centrality and richness. But for all readers, whether from the humanities or sciences, Floridi gives a fascinating and inspirational introduction to this most fundamental of ideas.

Readership: General readers and students of science, sociology/communication, computing, information processing and philosophy.

Introduction
1: The information revolution
2: The language of information
3: Mathematical information
4: Semantic information
5: Physical information
6: Biological information
7: Economic information
8: The ethics of information
Conclusion
References

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