Overview

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 is offered that centers on discursive action, meaning, and truth. The role of sign systems—semiotics—is connected to what information is. The standard model of consciousness is critiqued, and alternatives are investigated. The alternative of embodied/extended consciousness is presented as a preferred model, and its role with respect to information is explored. 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.

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9781538198483

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John Budd's impressive book provides an extensive analysis of information and consciousness, two of the most contentious and important concepts in today's technical world.

John Budd's impressive book provides an extensive analysis of information and consciousness, two of the most contentious and important concepts in today's technical world. --Ronald E. Day, professor, Information and Library Science, Indiana University

Author Information

John M. Budd is Professor Emeritus with the School of Information Science and Learning Technologies of the University of Missouri. He has also been on the faculties of Louisiana State University and the University of Arizona. He is the author of more than 150 works, including Six Issues Facing Libraries Today: Critical Perspectives and The Library as Forum in the Social Media Age, published by Rowman & Littlefield. He is active in the American Library Association, the Association for Library and Information Science Education, and the Association of Information Science and Technology.

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