Is there information in inanimate nature, if we do not take into account the various techniques created by man? The answer to this question depends on the definition of the concept itself. The meaning of the term "information" throughout the history of mankind has been repeatedly supplemented. The definition was influenced by the development of scientific thought, the progress of technology and the experience accumulated over the centuries. Information in inanimate nature is possible if we consider this phenomenon in terms of general terminology.
One of the options for defining the concept
Information in the narrow sense is a message transmitted in the form of one or another signal from person to person, from person to automaton or from automaton to automaton, as well as in the plant and animal world from individual to individual. With this approach, its existence is possible only in living nature or in sociotechnical systems. These include, among other things, such examples of information in inanimate nature in archeology as rock paintings, clay tablets, and so on. The carrier of information in this case is an object that is clearly not related to living matter or technology, but without the help of the same person, the data would not have been recorded and stored.
Subjective approach
There is another way to define: information is subjective in nature and occurs only in the mind of a person when he endows the surrounding objects, events, and so on with some meaning. This idea has interesting logical implications. It turns out that if there are no people, there is no information, data and messages anywhere, including information in inanimate nature. Informatics in this version of the definition becomes the science of the subjective, but not the real world. However, we will not dig deep into this topic.
General definition
In philosophy, information is defined as an intangible form of movement. It is inherent in any object, since it has a certain meaning. Not far from this definition goes the physical understanding of the term.
One of the basic concepts in the scientific picture of the world is energy. It is exchanged by all material objects, and constantly. A change in the initial state of one of them causes changes in the other. In physics, such a process is considered as signal transmission. A signal, in fact, is also a message transmitted by one object and received by another. This is information. According to this definition, the answer to the question posed at the beginning of the article is unequivocally positive. Information in inanimate nature is a variety of signals transmitted from one object to another.
The Second Law of Thermodynamics
A shorter and more precise definition: information is a measure of the orderliness of a system. Here it is worth recalling one of the basic physical laws. According to the second law of thermodynamics, closed systems (these are those that do not interact with the environment in any way) always move from an ordered state to a chaotic one.
For example, let's conduct a mental experiment: let's place gas in one half of a closed vessel. After some time, it will fill the entire volume provided, that is, it will cease to be ordered to the extent that it was. In this case, the information in the system will decrease, since it is a measure of order.
Information and entropy
It is worth noting that in the modern sense the Universe is not a closed system. It is characterized by processes of complication of the structure, accompanied by an increase in orderliness, and hence the amount of information. According to the Big Bang theory, this has been the case since the formation of the universe. Elementary particles appeared first, then molecules and larger compounds. Later, stars began to form. All these processes are characterized by the ordering of structural elements.
The prediction of the future of the Universe is closely connected with these nuances. According to the second law of thermodynamics, heat death awaits her as a result of an increase in entropy, the opposite of information. It can be defined as a measure of the disorder of a system. The second law of thermodynamics states that in closedEntropy always increases in systems. However, modern knowledge cannot give an exact answer to the question of how applicable it is to the entire Universe.
Features of information processes in inanimate nature in a closed system
All examples of information in inanimate nature are united by common features. This is a single-stage process, the absence of a goal, the loss of quantity in the source with an increase in the receiver. Consider these properties in more detail.
Information in inanimate nature is a measure of freedom of energy. In other words, it characterizes the ability of the system to do work. In the absence of external influence, every time a chemical, electromagnetic, mechanical or other work is performed, an irreversible loss of free energy occurs, and with it information.
Features of information processes in inanimate nature in an open system
Under an external influence, a certain system can receive information or part of it lost by another system. In this case, in the first one there will be an amount of free energy sufficient to do work. A good example is the magnetization of so-called ferromagnets (substances capable of being magnetized under certain conditions in the absence of an external magnetic field). They acquire similar properties as a result of a lightning strike or in the presence of other magnets. Magnetization in this case becomes a physical expression of the acquisition by the system of a certain amount of information. The work in this example will be carried out by a magnetic field. Information processes in this casesingle-stage and have no purpose. The latter property distinguishes them more than others from similar phenomena in wildlife. Separate fragments, for example, of the magnetization process do not pursue any global goals. In the case of living matter, there is such a goal - this is the synthesis of a biochemical product, the transfer of hereditary material, and so on.
Law of non-increase of information
Another feature of information transmission in inanimate nature is that the increase in information in the receiver is always associated with its loss in the source. That is, in a system without external influence, the amount of information never increases. This provision is a consequence of the law of non-decreasing entropy.
It should be noted that some scientists consider information and entropy as identical concepts with the opposite sign. The first is a measure of the orderliness of the system, and the second is the measure of chaos. From this point of view, information becomes negative entropy. However, not all researchers of the problem adhere to this opinion. In addition, one should distinguish between thermodynamic entropy and information entropy. They are part of different scientific knowledge (physics and information theory, respectively).
Information in the microworld
Studies the topic "Information in inanimate nature" Grade 8 of the school. Students by this point are still little familiar with quantum theory in physics. However, they already know that material objects can be divided intomacro- and microworld. The latter is a level of matter where electrons, protons, neutrons and other particles exist. Here the laws of classical physics are most often inapplicable. Meanwhile, information also exists in the microcosm.
We will not delve into quantum theory, but it is still worth noting a few points. Entropy as such does not exist in the microcosm. However, even at this level, during the interaction of particles, losses of free energy occur, the same one that is necessary for the performance of work by any system and the measure of which is information. If the free energy decreases, information also decreases. That is, in the microcosm the law of non-increase of information is also observed.
Living and inanimate nature
Any examples of information in inanimate nature, studied in computer science in the eighth grade and not related to technology, are united by the lack of a goal for which information is stored, processed and transmitted. For living matter, everything is different. In the case of living organisms, there is a main goal and intermediate ones. As a result, the entire process of obtaining, processing, transmitting and storing information is necessary for the transfer of hereditary material to descendants. Intermediate goals are its preservation through a variety of biochemical and behavioral reactions, which include, for example, the maintenance of homeostasis and orientation behavior.
Examples of information in inanimate nature indicate the absence of such properties. Homeostasis, by the way, minimizes the consequences of the law of non-growth of information, which leads to the destruction of the object. The presence or absence of the described goals is one of the main differences between animate and inanimate nature.
So, you can find a lot of examples on the topic "information in inanimate nature": pictures on the walls of ancient caves, computer operation, the growth of rock crystals and so on. However, if we do not take into account information created by man (various images and the like) and technology, objects of inanimate nature differ greatly in the properties of information processes occurring in them. Let's list them again: single-stage, irreversible, lack of purpose, inevitable loss of information in the source when transmitting it to the receiver. Information in inanimate nature is defined as a measure of the orderliness of a system. In a closed system, in the absence of external influence of one kind or another, the law of non-increase of information is observed.
