the essence, classification and quality of the different grades of information的本质、分类和不同等级的质量信息.pdfVIP

Information 2012, 3, 403-419; doi:10.3390/info3030403 OPEN ACCESS information ISSN 2078-2489 /journal/information Article The Essence, Classification and Quality of the Different Grades of Information Kun Wu International Center for the Philosophy of Information, Xian Jiaotong University, Xian 710049, China; E-Mail: wukun@; Tel.: +86-133-9928-4026 Received: 6 June 2012; in revised form: 27 August 2012 / Accepted: 30 August 2012 / Published: 10 September 2012 Abstract: I define information from a philosophical perspective as a category that indicates the presence of indirect existence, which is a self-display by material entities (with direct existence) of the status and trajectory of that existence. In this paper, based in part on articles published only in Chinese over the last 30 years, information is shown to include three basic forms: In-itself, for-itself and regenerated information, which is constituted by the first two. Information in these three basic forms establishes the essence of information which is further developed in a fourth form—social information. Information is further characterized by the qualities of its three different grades, corresponding to these forms: The quality of first-grade information demonstrates direct objective existence and indirect objective existence; the quality of second-grade information demonstrates