ABSTRACT
A selection of representative definitions of information is drawn from information science and related disciplines and discussed and compared. Defining information remains such a contested project that any claim to present a unified, singular vision of the topic would be disingenuous. Seven categories of definitions are described: communicatory or semiotic, activity-based (i.e., information as event), propositional, structural, social, multi-type, and deconstructionist. The impact of Norbert Wiener and Claude Shannon is discussed, as well as the widespread influence of Karl Popper’s ideas. The data–information–knowledge–wisdom continuum is also addressed.
The work of these authors are reviewed: Marcia J. Bates, Gregory Bateson, Paul Beynon-Davies, B.C. Brookes, Michael Buckland, Ian Cornelius, Ronald Day, Richard Derr, Brenda Dervin, Fred Dretske, Jason Farradane, Christopher Fox, Bernd Frohmann, Jonathan Furner, J.A. Goguen, Robert Losee, A.D. Madden, D.M. McKay, Doede Nauta, A.D. Pratt, Frederick Thompson.
