Toward a Calculus of Redundancy: The feedback arrow of expectations in knowledge-based systems

TL;DR

This paper introduces a probabilistic framework based on Shannon's information theory to analyze how redundancy and expectation codify meaning in discourse, contributing to cultural evolution and knowledge systems.

Contribution

It proposes a calculus of redundancy to empirically explore the dynamics of meaning generation and expectation in knowledge-based discourses using information theory.

Findings

Redundancy increases as meaning options proliferate.

Codes co-evolve with variations in discourse.

The calculus of redundancy enables empirical analysis of discourse dynamics.

Abstract

This paper considers the relationships among meaning generation, selection, and the dynamics of discourse from a variety of perspectives ranging from information theory and biology to sociology. Following Husserl's idea of a horizon of meaning in intersubjective communication, we propose a way in which, using Shannon's equations, the generation and selection of meanings from a horizon of possibilities can be considered probabilistically. The information-theoretical dynamics we articulate considers a process of meaning generation within cultural evolution: information is imbued with meaning, and through this process, the number of options for the selection of meaning in discourse proliferates. The redundancy of possible meanings contributes to a codification of expectations within the discourse. Unlike hard-wired DNA, the codes of non-biological systems can co-evolve with the variations. Spanning horizons of meaning, the codes structure the communications as selection environments that shape discourses. Discursive knowledge can be considered as meta-coded communication which enables us to translate among differently coded communications. The dynamics of discursive knowledge production can thus infuse the historical dynamics with a cultural evolution by adding options, that is, by increasing redundancy. A calculus of redundancy is presented as an indicator whereby these dynamics of discourse and meaning may be explored empirically.