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On the ‘transmission sense of information’

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Abstract

In order to illuminate the role of information in biology, Bergstrom and Rosvall (Biol Philos 26:159–176, 2011a; Biol Philos 26:195–200, 2011b) propose a ‘transmission sense of information’ which builds on Shannon’s theory. At the core of the transmission sense is an appeal to the reduction in uncertainty in receivers and to etiological function. I explore several ways of cashing out uncertainty reduction as well as the consequences of appealing to function.

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Acknowledgments

My thanks to Carl Bergstrom for his helpful comments on the draft.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Divinity, History and Philosophy, University of Aberdeen, Old Brewery, High Street, Aberdeen, AB24 3UB, UK

    Ulrich E. Stegmann

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  1. Ulrich E. Stegmann
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Correspondence to Ulrich E. Stegmann.

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Stegmann, U.E. On the ‘transmission sense of information’. Biol Philos 28, 141–144 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10539-012-9310-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10539-012-9310-x

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