Association for Library and Information Science Education

Information and Consciousness: An Exploration connects information and consciousness in ways that will open up potential inquiry into what information is, how it works, and its relationship to human consciousness. Information has been taken to mean many things in the past; the risk has been that, if it is taken to mean everything, it may mean nothing. In this book, information’s definition is restricted to the inclusion of meaning and truth in discursive action. Consciousness, for its part, has frequently been taken to refer to the material workings of the brain. Recent inquiry has led to a broadening to embrace the human body and the environment in extended consciousness.
Using these two conceptions, the connections between information and consciousness are explored. The book includes a unique definition of information that centers on discursive action, meaning, and truth; the role of sign systems—semiotics—and how it is connected to what information is; a critique of the standard model of consciousness, and an investigation of alternatives; an alternative to embodied/extended consciousness as a preferred model, and an exploration of its role with respect to information; and more.
The book aims to make connections between what informs humans and what humans are conscious of. Anyone who is concerned with how people identify what informs will be interested in the entirety of the work. The author provides readers with the foundation they need to understand the most common conceptions of what information and consciousness are.
Information and Consciousness also looks into the future for enquiry. Presenting a different way of conceiving information and consciousness, the book shows a way forward for enquiry and education.