Let us first agree on what the term "semantics" means: An unorthodox approach to an age-old debate

TL;DR

This paper redefines semantics as a form of semantic information, distinguishing it from physical information, and clarifies the relationships among data, information, knowledge, and semantics.

Contribution

It revitalizes classical ideas by redefining semantics as semantic information and introduces a new definition of information, clarifying its relation to data and knowledge.

Findings

Redefinition of semantics as semantic information

Distinction between physical and semantic information

Clarification of data-information-knowledge-semantic relations

Abstract

Traditionally, semantics has been seen as a feature of human language. The advent of the information era has led to its widespread redefinition as an information feature. Contrary to this praxis, I define semantics as a special kind of information. Revitalizing the ideas of Bar-Hillel and Carnap I have recreated and re-established the notion of semantics as the notion of Semantic Information. I have proposed a new definition of information (as a description, a linguistic text, a piece of a story or a tale) and a clear segregation between two different types of information - physical and semantic information. I hope, I have clearly explained the (usually obscured and mysterious) interrelations between data and physical information as well as the relation between physical information and semantic information. Consequently, usually indefinable notions of "information", "knowledge", "memory", "learning" and "semantics" have also received their suitable illumination and explanation.