A definition of information,the arrow of information,and its relationship to life |
| |
| Authors: | Stirling A. Colgate Hans Ziock |
| |
| Affiliation: | 1. Theoretical Division, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico 87545;2. Earth and Environmental Sciences Division, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico 87545 |
| |
| Abstract: | A new definition of information is proposed that is minimalistic and incorporates a lifetime requirement for conditions, (which we define here) applied to anything that can be considered to be information. The definition explicitly treats a state in thermodynamic equilibrium as an effectively zero information state. The definition includes the absolute requirement of selection for achieving information; the selection criterion being that the information directly or indirectly contributes to its own replication. The definition also explicitly incorporates the Laws of Thermodynamics, the Second Law leading to the requirement for replication. Finally, the definition explains the origin of information and predicts the monotonic increase of information with time. Published 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Complexity, 2011 |
| |
| Keywords: | definition of information origin of life/information selection reproduction artificial life |
|
|
