Podoprigora Alexander
Abstract: The article integrates the existent approaches to the definition of the notion of “information”, and specifies a task of elaborating conceptual presentation of the selfconsistent content of this notion, as well as the need for more precise definition of its place in the system of philosophical knowledge. Informational aspect lying at the base of any physical, biological or social process becomes apparent now; this fact gives rise to a disciplinary limitation and tautologies in its interpretations. Information as such is identified with one or other special findings, data, knowledge relating to processes and phenomena; information often presents itself as a mere function of human consciousness and a component of communication. In other instances, it is the attributive nature of this category that is solely emphasized, whereas its content is reduced to various properties of matter, substance and psychophysical phenomena. It is a common practice to consider information as a message about something, which constitutes a fact, an event of reality distinctive from the message itself. Another extremity of approaches consists in considering information as having a status of substance and principium of existence. The article emphasizes the relevancy of the new philosophical interpretation of the nature of information in the context of the synergetic paradigm, which integrates modern conceptualizations of various scientific disciplines, and counterbalances traditional antitheses of matter – spirit, subject – object. Definition of information is proposed herein based on the adaptation of approaches of C.L. Shannon and N. Wiener, the use of Everett’s interpretation and the theory of dynamic systems: information is universal probabilistic
process of generating structures of reality within the framework of intersystem interaction in conditions of the fundamental indetermination of existence.
Keywords: information, structure, reality, self-organization, dynamic systems, indetermination, simulation, reflection, probability.