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The scientific understanding of energy, matter, and spacetime has advanced rapidly, whereas the study of information its properties, behavior, and dynamics remains underdeveloped. Despite the complexity of knowledge and information, our conceptual and empirical grasp of its evolution lags significantly behind. Progress in disciplines such as artificial intelligence, genomics, cognitive science, cyber governance, global ecology, and quantum mechanics depends critically on a more rigorous understanding of information dynamics. Absent such insight, humanity risks succumbing to entropic forces that threaten systemic stability and long-term survival.
In this book, Klaus Jaffe addresses the limitations of prior treatments of infodynamics, many of which have been incomplete, imprecise, or conceptually flawed. It offers an interdisciplinary investigation into the relationship between information and energy, drawing on theoretical and empirical contributions from economics, biology, and physics. By challenging conventional paradigms, the book constructs a conceptual framework that bridges disparate scientific domains and societal processes. The resulting synthesis opens new avenues for empirical inquiry and policy-relevant research, with implications for both academic scholarship and public discourse.
Inviting readers to explore the evolving frontier of information science, the book highlights the role of information and its impact on both natural and social systems.
List of contents
Chapter 1: Introduction.- Chapter 2: Maxwell's Approach to Information and Energy.- Chapter 3: Complexity, Entropy, and Information Processing in Physics.- Chapter 4: Divisions in Labor.- Chapter 5: Historical Roots of Infodynamics.- Chapter 6: Emergence, Multidimensional Systems, and Infodynamics.- Chapter 7: Lessons from Human History.- Chapter 8: Emergence of Synergies.- Chapter 9: Conclusion.
About the author
Klaus Jaffe
is Professor Emeritus at Universidad Simón Bolívar (USB) in Caracas. He established the International Doctoral Program for Interdisciplinary Science at USB. He has a research background in chemistry, biology, and economics.
Summary
The scientific understanding of energy, matter, and spacetime has advanced rapidly, whereas the study of information—its properties, behavior, and dynamics—remains underdeveloped. Despite the complexity of knowledge and information, our conceptual and empirical grasp of its evolution lags significantly behind. Progress in disciplines such as artificial intelligence, genomics, cognitive science, cyber governance, global ecology, and quantum mechanics depends critically on a more rigorous understanding of information dynamics. Absent such insight, humanity risks succumbing to entropic forces that threaten systemic stability and long-term survival.
In this book, Klaus Jaffe addresses the limitations of prior treatments of infodynamics, many of which have been incomplete, imprecise, or conceptually flawed. It offers an interdisciplinary investigation into the relationship between information and energy, drawing on theoretical and empirical contributions from economics, biology, and physics. By challenging conventional paradigms, the book constructs a conceptual framework that bridges disparate scientific domains and societal processes. The resulting synthesis opens new avenues for empirical inquiry and policy-relevant research, with implications for both academic scholarship and public discourse.
Inviting readers to explore the evolving frontier of information science, the book highlights the role of information and its impact on both natural and social systems.
