information/enformation

In our systematic approach to EE, the concept of information follows the Austrian economics definition, leading to a major difference to the use in cybernetics and related fields. For the latter use, we introduce the artificial term "enformation". Enformation is the quantity of knowledge as measured in bits, i.e. according to Shannon's definition. It is therefore related to a given >state space and the number of possible states of a >system in the different dimensions.

"Austrian" information is the same as semantic information, that is, information is the >meaning of >knowledge or the qualitative content. In the Austrian context, this is tantamout to subjective information. In EE, this is generalized in the way that meaning can only be specified within a particular system of reference, either defined in functional terms (non-referential knowledge) or intentional terms (referential knowledge). Since there is no absolute state space to which all system descriptions relate, information is the functional reference of the dimensions of the state space. Accordingly, information is independent from the existence of an observer but inheres every evolutionary system where novelty and emergence of new dimensions of state spaces occur. Following the general definition of knowledge, this reflects the dualism of rule and regularity as the basic constituents of knowledge, with information being the meaning of the rule and the function of the respective regularity.

More narrowly and for practical use in understanding economic systems, information is the new knowledge that accrues to an individual via communication, observation and experience. Information is therefore a flow that changes the individual stock of knowledge.

Basic References
Our use of information/enformation is idiosyncratic. There are other uses of the term which are just the reverse, although the important distinction in content remains valid. The reason of this seeming confusion lies in our additional use of concept of knowledge. For an alternative view, see
Alternative definition of enformation

Semantic Field
knowledge
state space   information/enformation   meaning