CHAPTER 8

Information Society
Humans are surrounded on all sides by technology claiming to supply information: television, smart
phones, and internet devices, among others. However, do they all provide information or just noise? More voices
are trying to get our attention but how can We be sure that they share knowledge and the truth?
To answer this basic question, a short historical backgrounder might prove useful.
Before the printed word, the written word was prevalent. Yet, the intent to carry information has always
been present.

Information
A word is a combination of sounds that represents something. It is this significance which makes words
distinct from just any kind of vocal utterance. Words are made up of sounds and yet they transmit something
more significant. They transmit a message. The words are "informed" because they "information" (Chaisson,
2006; Ben-Naim, 2015). Words are informed with meaning given by the speaker and intended for the listener.
Simply put, they communicate meaning.

The role of language

In the human quest for understanding the natural world, the ability to classify objects found in the nature
was seen as a first step in knowing. Thus, the scientific search for truth early on recognized the usefulness of
language and the ability it gave to make sense of nature. For the ancient Greeks, language was an object worthy
of admiration. Words have power.

This kind of knowing sprang from the Greek fascination and wonder at the power of words and language.
How is it possible that one's idea can simultaneously exist in his/her mind and in other’s? How is it possible that
human beings can communicate through words and thus form a community? Does the power of the
communicated word come from the speaker, who is the thinker and the source, or from the listener, who is the
recipient of the communication? However, you answer these points, it is clear that thinking in terms of a common
system being generated by the speaker and received by the listener is useful in the pursuit of knowledge.
Science, from the Latin word scire (meaning to know), is one kind of knowledge the Greeks wanted to
understand.

The idea of comprehending words as more than just combinations of sounds led the Greeks to seek out
the principles of everyday language. When talking to other people for example, a meaningful message is created
using ordinary sounds. Its meaning is also not diminished by multiplication- the speaker can use the same words
over and over again to talk same time. Nevertheless, the same message will be received by everyone. Words,
therefore, can function across space and time without reducing their meaning.

The first philosophers, as they thrashed about groping for and seeking a unifying principle in nature,
sometimes hit upon things such as fire or water. But they believed that something was common in all of these.
The many seemingly different things in the natural world must have a unifying factor. There was an inside to
be "understood." They sought for this metaphusis, literally meaning "after nature" (De Chardin, 1965).
 Plato's principle of "One and the Many" refers to the underlying unity among diverse beings in the natural
world. For Plato, there is a common intrinsic nature shared by different objects, which determines their real
sense. Biologists devised a way to illustrate this principle using a system differentiating between genus and
species. Many species belong in one genus.

In the 21st century, we are aware more than ever that there is rich diversity in nature, which technology
has allowed us to discover (BANWA Natural Science, 2008).

Mathematics as the language of nature

Technology in the modern world is the fruit of science. Because the scientific method helped people
discover how nature behaves, they were able to control nature with technology. A more accurate statement is:
Since people have discovered the laws and language of nature, they can develop technology that uses these
laws and language for their benefit. This language is, of course, mathematics, the great contribution of Isaac
Newton. Nature can be understood because it speaks in the language of mathematics and the human brain, to
a certain extent, can comprehend this language (Wigner, 1960). Unfortunately, this fact is not always
appreciated.

Technological world
The ability to think and conceptually comprehend nature and the principles it follows eventually leads to
science. Even in ancient times, Western thinkers harnessed the forces of nature after understanding them better.
Lost in antiquity is the first sailing vessel that worked through the power of the wind. Similarly, it was never
recorded when the early people realized that fire has its own power and energy. Not all early inventions are lost
in time, however. Hero of Alexandria, for instance, would invent a primitive steam engine in the first century
(Davies, 1990).

Ancient scribe working at his desk

the printing press and beyond

Illustration of an old printing press

The power of the eidos, or idea, would be witnessed in the succeeding centuries of development in the West
The ancient fascination with language gave rise to the preservation of the words of earlier people at the same
time when the West weakened itself due to internecine warfare and conflicts. Throughout this dark period, the
importance of the word-the power to be informed as a human being- led to the transmission of ideas through
hand-copying. From this manual action would arise the technology that would transform cultures-the printing
press. The development of the printing press, which may be regarded as the beginning of a true revolution, could
be dated to the 15th century. Through this technology, the ancient Greek idea that knowledge should he shared
and communicated among humans would actually be done on a scale unimagined by its thinkers. Using the
printing press, people on different sides of the world could share their thoughts and ideas with each other, forming
communities of thinkers across space and time (Connell, 1958).
The world has never looked back. This technological invention allowed words and scientific ideas to establish a
view of nature anchored in scholarly works and studies. For instance, new discoveries about the phenomenon
of electricity were eagerly absorbed by fellow scientists who then utilized the science to create other technological
products. The radio was built upon the wave nature of electricity and magnetism, and from there, television
followed.
In the age of information, the transmission of ideas has undergone changes. Meaning and depth are no longer
conveyed strictly by rhetoric but rather by its electronic replacement, the digital signal or digit. Such a digital
world is a direct offspring of the progressing world of technology built upon the many advances in science (Toffler,
1984).
The world wide web
A more modern example of technology feeding upon itself is the 20th-century tour de force: The World Wide
Web through the internet. Sir Tim Berners-Lee invented it as a way of addressing data processing and
information sharing needs among scientists for the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN).
CERN's atom smasher produces a huge amount of scientific data every second. It thus required better data
analyzers to work on the gathered information in coordination with each other. While the telegraph and telephone
had allowed the transmission of information transcend physical boundaries, processing a veritable ocean and
mountain of scientific data generated by the atom smasher needed a new medium.

The NeXTt computer used by Sir Tim Berners-Lee at CERN which became the first Web server
With the ease of sharing information at present, its reliability becomes compromised. Anyone with a connection
to other people can produce contents which are showing half-truths or even lies, giving rise to disinformation.
Social media also encourages building a community of like-minded people. The creation of these groups often
reinforces biases and beliefs based only on the content that they allow within the community, forgoing the
variation and clash of ideas provided in real life. Worse, these communities can be tapped by people in power
who may take advantage of these mechanisms controlling public opinion and harassing those who present
opposing views-for their own advantage. Meanwhile, the easy access to personal information makes one
susceptible to online predation, identity theft, and scamming, among others.

Plate next to the office where Sir Tim Berners-Lee and Robert Cailliau began the World Wide Web
Thus, it pays to be vigilant in utilizing these modern devices at all times. The technology applied when a sailor
rigs up a piece of cloth to catch the wind is the same one that produces modern machines and devices, albeit
less complex. Nevertheless, human beings have always found a way to address their needs and discover new
frontiers with scientific thinking. Considering the many benefits we get from these technologies, we must also be
responsible in utilizing them to avoid harming others and ourselves.