data

Cognizable information vs. Data, vs. Information, vs. Consciousness. The Origin of Terms and Their Interpretation

Posted on by Mykola Krasnostup

Cognizable information, Data, Information, Consciousness. The Origin of Terms and Their InterpretationThe lack of unified interpretations of such terms as cognizable information, data, information, and consciousness has begun to have a negative impact on the development of modern science and technology. This has been particularly evident in the discussions on the subject of “Does chatGPT have or does not have consciousness?

I decided to fill in this gap.

Part 1. Cognizable information

Absolutely all objects, processes and phenomena in the Universe, from “elementary particles” to the largest star clusters, from bacteria to human beings, from all kinds of radiation to the creations of human hands, in fact are carriers/media of various information (that could be cognized/perceived/read) about their origin, activity, evolution, “life path”, current state, etc. in the smallest detail. This “cognizable information” can tell a lot to someone who is able to “reveal”, “perceive” and “read” it.

Example #1: Light coming to us from a distant star is a valuable source of information for astronomers and can help solve many mysteries about the nature and origin of the universe. Analyzing the spectrum of light can provide information about the distance to the star and its speed, as well as the composition of the gases in the galaxy. The detection of chemical elements in the light spectrum, which may be associated with life, may indicate the presence of life on planets in that star’s system. This light can tell us about the star itself, its age, size, temperature, and composition. Changes in the brightness of the star can indicate the presence of planets passing in front of it…

Example #2: An artist’s painting from many centuries ago can tell researchers a lot about the culture and history of the time when it was created. It can contain information about the social, economic, and political life at that time. Also, it may reflect lifestyle, fashion, structure of the society, and even behavior of the people depicted in it. A painting can also show the architecture, landscape, and technological advances of the time. The size of the painting, the type of paint, the chemical composition of the paints, the material of the canvas, the author’s signature on the painting, etc. are also of interest to researchers.

Example #3: A handwritten letter can provide a variety of information for different subjects: for the addressee – it’s the content itself; for the graphologist – it’s the handwriting, containing information about the author of the letter; for the forensic scientist – it’s fingerprints on the letter, the composition of the ink and the paper the letter was written on; etc.

But… In the process of cognition some subjects can “read” this or that information, while others cannot do this for any of the reasons (lack of appropriate education, lack of necessary knowledge and experience, lack of desire to cognize anything, malfunction in functioning of the body and its receptors, and so on). Therefore, as a rule, people call “a source of information” only those objects, from which they are able to “read” what these objects “carry“.

Example #4: If a researcher of the Mumba-Yumba tribe does not know their language, he will not understand a single word or “catch” the slightest meaning in their speech. Everything uttered by the tribe will be mere noise to him.

Example #5: One subject (hunter) is able to “read” animal tracks, another (ornithologist) is able to “read” bird voices, a third (programmer) is able to “read” program code in a programming language he knows, a fourth (translator) is able to “read” texts in various world languages, a fifth (radio engineer) is able to “read” signals coming from radio stations to radio receiver using devices that people have specially created for this purpose…. and yet many people have no idea about the very possibility of “reading” this information…

Accordingly, it can be stated that:

  • “Cognizable, or readable, information“ (rus. сведения, ukr. відомості) is everything that serves as a basis, on which a subject is able to characterize something.
  • “Cognizable information“ does not exist by itself; it does not exist outside of the object – its carrier (i.e., medium)!
  • “Cognizable information“ is, by default, unknown to the subject, but could potentially be cognized by him.
  • “Cognizable information“ is an integral part of any object in the Universe, which the subject is able to perceive.
  • Creators of “cognizable information“ are Creators of objects or processes, i.e., Nature, Beings, as well as human-made devices.
  • A carrier, or a medium, is a conventional name of an object from the body of which a subject is able to perceive, or “read” “cognizable information“, which the object “carries on itself” by means of any physical effects.
  • The medium of “cognizable information“ is the conventional name for the carrier “carrying” the “cognizable of information”, which is unknown to the subject by default.
  • The medium of information is the conventional name for the medium “carrying” the information the subject has created.
  • Characterizing (describing, outlining, qualifying…)  is identifying and describing characteristic features and properties of something or someone.  
Anything is characterized, as a rule, using of any parameters used in scientific research at the current moment in time. Such physical parameters can be, for example, the size and shape of the surface, temperature, speed of movement, humidity, chemical composition, and so on. Such psychological parameters may be, for example, temperament, character, behavior pattern, personality type, personality traits, mental and psychological health of the individual, etc.

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What is Cognizable information?

Posted on by Mykola Krasnostup

Cognizable informationAbsolutely all objects, processes and phenomena in the Universe, from “elementary particles” to the largest star clusters, from bacteria to human beings, from all kinds of radiation to the creations of human hands, in fact are carriers/media of various information (that could be cognized/perceived/read) about their origin, activity, evolution, “life path”, current state, etc. in the smallest detail. This “cognizable information” can tell a lot to someone who is able to “reveal”, “perceive” and “read” it.

Example #1: Light coming to us from a distant star is a valuable source of information for astronomers and can help solve many mysteries about the nature and origin of the universe. Analyzing the spectrum of light can provide information about the distance to the star and its speed, as well as the composition of the gases in the galaxy. The detection of chemical elements in the light spectrum, which may be associated with life, may indicate the presence of life on planets in that star’s system. This light can tell us about the star itself, its age, size, temperature, and composition. Changes in the brightness of the star can indicate the presence of planets passing in front of it…

Example #2: An artist’s painting from many centuries ago can tell researchers a lot about the culture and history of the time when it was created. It can contain information about the social, economic, and political life at that time. Also, it may reflect lifestyle, fashion, structure of the society, and even behavior of the people depicted in it. A painting can also show the architecture, landscape, and technological advances of the time. The size of the painting, the type of paint, the chemical composition of the paints, the material of the canvas, the author’s signature on the painting, etc. are also of interest to researchers.

Example #3: A handwritten letter can provide a variety of information for different subjects: for the addressee – it’s the content itself; for the graphologist – it’s the handwriting, containing information about the author of the letter; for the forensic scientist – it’s fingerprints on the letter, the composition of the ink and the paper the letter was written on; etc.

But… In the process of cognition some subjects can “read” this or that information, while others cannot do this for any of the reasons (lack of appropriate education, lack of necessary knowledge and experience, lack of desire to cognize anything, malfunction in functioning of the body and its receptors, and so on). Therefore, as a rule, people call “a source of information” only those objects, from which they are able to “read” what these objects “carry“.

Example #4: If a researcher of the Mumba-Yumba tribe does not know their language, he will not understand a single word or “catch” the slightest meaning in their speech. Everything uttered by the tribe will be mere noise to him.

Example #5: One subject (hunter) is able to “read” animal tracks, another (ornithologist) is able to “read” bird voices, a third (programmer) is able to “read” program code in a programming language he knows, a fourth (translator) is able to “read” texts in various world languages, a fifth (radio engineer) is able to “read” signals coming from radio stations to radio receiver using devices that people have specially created for this purpose…. and yet many people have no idea about the very possibility of “reading” this information…

Accordingly, it can be stated that:

  • “Cognizable, or readable, information“ (rus. сведения, ukr. відомості) is everything that serves as a basis, on which a subject is able to characterize something.
  • “Cognizable information“ does not exist by itself; it does not exist outside of the object – its carrier (i.e., medium)!
  • “Cognizable information“ is, by default, unknown to the subject, but could potentially be cognized by him.
  • “Cognizable information“ is an integral part of any object in the Universe, which the subject is able to perceive.
  • Creators of “cognizable information“ are Creators of objects or processes, i.e., Nature, Beings, as well as human-made devices.
  • A carrier, or a medium, is a conventional name of an object from the body of which a subject is able to perceive, or “read” “cognizable information“, which the object “carries on itself” by means of any physical effects.
  • The medium of “cognizable information“ is the conventional name for the carrier “carrying” the “cognizable of information”, which is unknown to the subject by default.
  • The medium of information is the conventional name for the medium “carrying” the information the subject has created.
  • Characterizing (describing, outlining, qualifying…)  is identifying and describing characteristic features and properties of something or someone.  
Anything is characterized, as a rule, using of any parameters used in scientific research at the current moment in time. Such physical parameters can be, for example, the size and shape of the surface, temperature, speed of movement, humidity, chemical composition, and so on. Such psychological parameters may be, for example, temperament, character, behavior pattern, personality type, personality traits, mental and psychological health of the individual, etc.

Part 2. Basic properties of “Cognizable information”

  1. “Cognizable information” is of material nature, because it is an integral part of a material object.
  2. The same portion of “cognizable information “ can be coded in different ways (a verbal message can be coded by sound waves; by nerve signals in the process of speaking; by signs, written on paper… ).
  3. The same object may contain different “ cognizable information “ (see ‘an artist’s painting’).
  4. “Cognizable information” can be reproduced (imagine many copies of the same book).
  5. If completely lost, “cognizable information” cannot be recovered (hereditary information embedded in DNA will disappear irretrievably if the human body disintegrates into the simplest chemical elements after his death).
  6. Different objects can contain the same “cognizable information” (book, video, web page…).
  7. “Cognizable information” is always relative and depends on:
  • The type of the medium/carrier;
  • The method of encoding;
  • The ability and capacity of the researcher;
  • The goal the researcher has set for himself.

 

 

Otherworldly view on “our” nature. Users

Posted on by Mykola Krasnostup

Let’s contemplate the thought experiment:

Three different families bought the same type of a TV. These identical TVs were sold in one and the same store and produced at the same enterprise… But the first family constantly watch the news broadcasts, the second family prefers various TV series, and the third one is a fond of sports programs. There is nothing to be surprised about. Why? Because in every family there is a primary User of the device purchased (a TV set in this case) and exactly this person determines its usage policy. As a rule, this TV was bought to satisfy the wishes of this particular User…

 The same situation is with all other devices…

 In fact, the term “device” always denotes some object (device, mechanism, construction, installation …) human beings have created for their own needs to perform strictly defined functions (personal computer, mobile phone, TV, radio, refrigerator, air conditioner, cookstove, car…)

 

For example, a personal computer (PC). Computers are called “personal” just because they are used by certain “persons”, i.e. “Users”. As a rule, each personal computer has one user. Each user is free to use his personal computer in his own discretion: to play computer games, to develop any innovative facilities, to constantly surf the social networks, etc.

 What is an obvious conclusion we can arrive at after the results of this thought experiment?


Using a lot of identical devices, will never help different people to create the same information, since it is called “personal information” for a reason, that is, Users (“persons”) create it as well as possess it. And each user produces his own “personal information”, using the certain devices he prefers.

The same situation is with people…

Despite the similar functionality of the human bodies as well as the possibility to duplicate (clone, copy) their genetically identical material bodies, they all have and will always possess different memory, different consciousness, different character, different knowledge, different experience… Why is it so? One of the possible variants is that various people just have various Users.

The material body just provides “own” User with the opportunity to cognize “our” World and perform certain actions in it. It is he (“our” User) who feels anxious, thinks, dwells on something, enjoys… And each reader can guess what is the name of “his” User — it’s your Personality.

There are good reasons why such terms as a person that denotes the integrity of a human being (from the Latin persona) and a personality denoting social and psychological aspects of a human being (from the Latin personalitas) have the same deep root persona.

Intelligence. How is it measured?

Posted on by Mykola Krasnostup

The modern researchers are actively discussing such concepts as “intellect”, “intelligence”, “artificial intelligence”, “natural intelligence”, “Human intelligence“, etc., but up to this day no one has ever offered an approach to measuring the scale of intelligence of various beings. This article is the first attempt to move in this direction.

I want to pay your attention that there is a slight difference between my terms and the modern scientific ones. From my point of view, it allows us to see cognitive process in a more realistic light …

The MIND is a set of «thinking» abilities of the Brain (a set of Brain Powers), which enable the Body and the Personality of a Human Being to effectively process information during cognition, i.e.:

  • the maximum amount of data processed;
  • the maximum data processing speed;
  • a variety of processed data;
  • a variety of the methods of information input for further processing;
  • a variety of the methods of information output after it has been processed;
  • etc.

This set of abilities we call as “capacities of thinking”.  People who are able to effectively think, have always been called “thinkers”.

MIND is the objective characteristic (a set of parameters) of an object, which can be accurately measured, using the appropriate techniques.

Many objects are able to independently systematize (generalize, comprehend) information about the outside world during cognition. Such information (systematized knowledge) is called «consciousness» of objects, and objects themselves are called «conscious».

 

CONSCIOUSNESS is the objective characteristic (parameter) of an object. Consciousness can be accurately measured, using the appropriate techniques.

But there are objects that we call «creatures». They are able both to systematize information about the outside World and to use their «experience and knowledge» (their consciousness) in their activities.

 

REASON is the integral ability of Beings to use the accumulated «experience and knowledge» in their activities; it is this ability that distinguishes them from objects which are simply conscious. If the Beings have “reason”, they will possess abilities to analyze, abstract, generalize, logically think …

That is why «creatures» at all times were called “reasonable“, that is experienced, knowledgeable. And their activity was also considered to be “reasonable“.

 

INTELLIGENCE  is a property of an object that characterizes its ability to cognize the World (in the broadest sense of this word) by a heuristic method based on the object’s:

  • MIND; «thinking» abilities;
  • CONSCIOUSNESS; the volume of systematized information about the world (the volume of accumulated experience and knowledge):
  • REASON; ability to fully or partly use consciousness in certain activities.

INTELLECTUAL is the characteristic of a Being with excellent «cogitative» («thinking») abilities, great knowledge and personal experience, which ultimately allows him to take more correct decisions in his activity.

But intellect can also be expressed mathematically as a variable that changes in time and depends on three main variable functions:

Intelligence (t) = f(«thinking» abilities, t) * f(The volume of systematized information or the volume of Consciousness, t) * f(The amount of consciousness used for activities or Reason, t)

I(t) = f(TA, t) * f(C, t) * f(M, t)

I = Intelligence
TA = «Thinking» Abilities
C = Volume of Consciousness or Volume of Systematized Information
M = The Мind or a part of Consciousness used for performing one’s activity
t = time

Thus, «intelligence» is the variable in time objective characteristic (parameter) of an object; it can be accurately measured, using the appropriate techniques.

P.S.
Of course, everything I’ve mentioned above is a very simplified model for defining “intelligence” of any Being. But this model really works. Its effectiveness differs it from all the rest models existing nowadays.

Experimental proof of “immortality” of a human being’s Personality and its Consciousness as the basis for changing the vector of development of modern humankind in the future

Posted on by Mykola Krasnostup

Modern scientists claim that they have already determined the directions that will enable humanity to make a breakthrough into its radiant future: nanomaterials, smart houses, travelling to other planets, cloning various creatures, storing information in DNA-like media, artificial intelligence, robots and biorobots, studying ocean depths and the depths of Space…

I dare say that most of the state-of-the-art technologies created today are so significant that their creators may erroneously believe that it is the development of these technologies that will allow their owners to “rule ‘Our’ World” in the nearest future.

 But, from my point of view (and, unfortunately, not only mine), modern mankind currently has no future. All new technologies will only lead the modern mankind to collapse. The more revolutionary the new technology is, the faster it leads the modern humanity to the end.

It is not because these technologies are harmful, but solely because people use the fruits of any technological revolution primarily for such purposes as arms race, seizures of power, turning people into ‘zombies’, etc.

Invention of a wheel and a knife proved to be a much less dangerous technology for humans than creation of new viruses and bacteria, climate and chemical weapons over the past 100 years. And most importantly, the inventors (creators) of these technologies are not able to prevent such use in any way.

Many modern researchers realize the current situation and consider it to be hopeless so far, since up to the present there have not been found any acceptable solutions for mankind’s exit from its “nosedive” to death…

While investigating prospects for development of the mankind, I carried out many imaginary experiments, and as a result I “saw” the following main causes of this problem:

  • Cause #1: Most people consider themselves “the center of the Earth”, kind of “ kings of Nature” and don’t realize their true place in the hierarchy of the Universe. These earthlings honestly believe that they are at the top of the “food chain” and they can do whatever they want with complete impunity throughout their short life on the planet Earth.

  • Cause #2: People haven’t yet realized that a human being actually is a kind of an essence of field nature, which is “dressed” in a material body. This body is only a part of a human being, and it’s far from being the most essential one.  

The result obtained in this experiment clearly showed thatno technological improvements of human bodies and the environment of these bodies are able to change the people’s attitude towards the Nature (the Universe) and to all its inhabitants, including their own species…

That is why, it is not the body of a person that should be “altered” – it is, first of all, people’s worldview, way of thinking, meaning of their lives. Change of the outlook will automatically lead to replacement of current dominant values ​​(money, power, fame…) with new ones, such as harmonious relations with the objects of the Universe and with all its inhabitants. These new values will determine behavior of people and their social relations in the long run. On this basis, the direction of the modern mankind’s development will change automatically.

“You are looking into the interlocutor’s eyes and realize that a bag of meat and bones cannot radiate an intelligent look. You see the flesh, but you communicate with an invisible spiritual essence.”  Yuri Larichev, writer and philosopher

Obtaining a strictly scientific proof of immortality of a human Personality and its consciousness and disclosing it to the general public (by means of demonstrating so-called ‘miracles’) should become the cornerstone of this crucial task.

At present, due to the conservatism of the official science, even studies in these areas are considered absurd, and any publications on such topics in scientific journals are kind of a taboo and are considered “undesirable”…

“The consciousness, which is already transforming and organizing a hefty chunk of “our” solar system, is denied objective existence only because traditional science doesn’t know how to approach it, didn’t create an appropriate conceptual apparatus and scientific tools for its study, and it is in no hurry to correct these mistakes and to overcome the arising difficulties.”  George Somov, “Matter of Consciousness & Consciousness of Matter (Материя Сознания и Сознание Материи)“

This situation has led to the fact that even ‘crazy investors’ “do not see the advisability” of investments in this field. Investing in human development has become completely unprofitable, as the payback period can reach 30-60 years. Investors don’t realize that they themselves are blocking the most promising areas of investment in the history of “modern mankind”.

“If there is no immortality, then neither is the remorality: all is permitted.”  Vladimir Bekhterev,  “Immortality From the Scientific Point of View”

 “It sounded an excellent plan, no doubt, and very neatly and simply arranged; the only difficulty was, that she had not the smallest idea how to set about it…” Lewis Carroll, “Alice in Wonderland”

 I do have an idea how to.

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