Information Society

Semi Final

INFORMATION

A word is a combination of sounds that represents something. It is this

significance which makes words distinct from just any kind of vocal utterance. Words
are made up of sounds and yet they transmit something more significant. They transmit
a message. The words are “informed” because they carry “information.” Words are
informed with meaning given by the speaker and intended for the listener. Simply put,
they communicate meaning.

THE ROLE OF LANGUAGE

In the human quest for understanding the natural world, the ability to name and
classify objects found in nature was seen a first step in knowing. For the ancient
Greeks, language was an object worthy of administration. Words have power.

This kind of knowing sprang from the Greek fascination and wonder at the power
of words and language. How is it possible that one’s idea can simultaneously exist in
his/her mind and in another’s? How is it possible that human beings can communicate
through words and thus form a community? Does the power of the communicated word
come from the speaker, who is the thinker and the source, or from the listener, who is
the recipient of the communication? However, you answer these points, it is clear that
thinking in terms of a common system being generated by the speaker and received by
the listener is useful in the pursuit of knowledge. Science, from Latin word scire
(meaning to know), is one kind of knowledge the Greeks wanted to understand.

The idea of comprehending words as more than just combinations of sounds led
the Greeks to seek out principles of everyday language. When talking to other people,
for example, a meaningful message is created using ordinary sounds. Its meaning is
not also diminished by multiplication -the speaker can use the same words over and
over again to talk to ten, a hundred, or even a thousand people separately or at the
same time. Words, therefore, can function across the space and time without reducing
their meaning.

The first philosophers, as they thrashed about groping for and seeking a unifying
principle in nature, sometimes hit upon things such ass fire or water. But they believed
that something was common in all of these. The many seemingly different this in the
natural world must have a unifying factor. There was an inside to be “understood.”
They sought for this meta phusis, literally meaning “after nature.”

Plato’s principle of “One and the Many” refers to the underlying unity among
diverse beings in the natural world. For Plato, there is a common intrinsic nature shared
by different objects, which determines their real sense. Biologists devised a way to
illustrate this principle using a system differentiating between genus and species. Many
species belong in one genus.

In the 21st century, we are aware more that there is rich diversity in nature, which
technology has allowed us to discover.

MATHEMATICS AS THE LANGUAGE OF NATURE

Technology in the modern world is the fruit of science. Because the scientific
method helped people discover how nature behaves, they were able to control nature
with technology. A more accurate statement is: Since people have discovered the laws
and language of nature, they can develop technology that uses these laws and
language for tei benefit. This language is, of course, mathematics, the great
contribution of Isaac Newton. Nature can be understood because it speaks in the
language of mathematics and the human brain, to a certain extent, can comprehend this
language. Unfortunately, this fact is not always appreciated.

TECHNOLOGICAL WORLD

The ability to think and conceptually comprehend nature and principles it follows
eventually leads to science. Even on ancient times, Western thinkers harnessed the
forces of nature after understanding them better. Lost in antiquity is the first sailing
vessel that worked through the power of the wind. Similarly, it was never recorded
when the early people realized that fire has its own power and energy. Not all early
inventions are lost in time, however. Hero of Alexandria, for instance, would invent a
primitive steam engine in the first century.

THE PRINTING AND BEYOND

The power of the eidos, or idea, would be witnessed in the succeeding centuries
of development in the West. The ancient fascination with language gave rise to the
preservation of the words of earlier people at the same time when the west weakened
itself due to the internecine warfare and conflicts. Throughout this dark period, the
importance of the word- the power to be informed as a human being -led to the
transmission of ideas through hand-copying. From this manual action would arise the
technology that would transform cultures-the printing press. The development of the
printing press, which may be regarded as the beginning of a true revolution, could be
dated to the 15th century. Through this technology, the ancient Greek idea that
knowledge should be shared and communicated among humans would actually be
done on scale unimagined by its thinkers. Using the printing press, people on different
sides of the world could share their thoughts and ideas with each other, forming
communities of thinkers across space and time.

The world has never looked back. This technological invention allowed words
and scientific ideas to establish a view of nature anchored in scholarly works or studies.
For instance, new discoveries about the phenomenon of electricity were eagerly
absorbed by fellow scientists who then utilized the science to create other technological
products. The radio was built upon the wave nature of electricity and magnetism, and
from there, television followed.

In the age of information, the transmission of idea has undergone changes.

Meaning and depth are no longer conveyed strictly by rhetoric but rather by its
electronic replacement, the digital signal or digit. Such a digital world is direct offspring
of the progressing world of technology built upon the many advances in science.

THE WORLD WIDE WEB

 A more modern example of technology feeding upon itself is the 20 th century tour
de force: the World Wide Web through the internet. Sir Tim Berners -Lee invented it as
a way of addressing data processing and information sharing needs among scientists
for the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN). CERN’s atom smasher
produces a huge amount of scientific data every second. It thus required better data
analyzers to work on gathered information in coordination with each other. While the
telegraph and telephone had allowed the transmission of information to transcend
physical boundaries, processing a veritable ocean and mountain of scientific data
generated by the atom smasher needed a new medium.

With the ease of sharing information at present, its reliability becomes

compromised. Anyone with a connection to other people can produce contents which
are showing half-truths or even lies, giving rise to disinformation. Social media also
encourages building a community of like-minded people. The creation of these groups
often reinforces biases and beliefs based only on the content that they allow within the
community, forgoing the variation and clash o ideas provided in real life. Worse, these
communities can be tapped by people in power who may take advantage of these
mechanisms- controlling public opinion and harassing those who present opposing
views -for their own advantage. Meanwhile, the easy access to personal information
makes one susceptible to online predation, identify theft, and scamming, among others.
Thus, it pays to be vigilant in utilizing these modern devices at all times.

The technology applied when a sailor rigs up a piece of cloth to catch the wind is
the same one that produces modern machines and devices, albeit less complex.
Nevertheless, human beings have always found a way to address their needs and
discover new frontiers with scientific thinking. Considering the many benefits we get
from these technologies, we must also be responsible in utilizing them to avoid harming
others and ourselves.

Activity 2

1. Which developments in the information age brought significant changes in the

way you live your life today?
2. How did the transmission of information evolve from the ancient times up to the
present?
3. How did the printing press change the course of history? What ideas were
spread using this invention?