In the Beginning was Information

7 The Three Forms in which InformationAppearsInformation accosts us from all sides and presents itself over awide range of manifestations:– From messages pounded out by drums in the jungle to telephoneconversations by means of communications satellites.– From the computer controlled processes for producing syntheticmaterials to the adaptive control of rolling mills.– In printed form from telephone directories to the Bible.– From the technical drawings which specify the construction of apetrol driven engine to the circuit diagram of a large scale integratedcomputer chip.– From the hormonal system of an organism to the navigationalinstincts of migrating birds.– From the genome of a bacterium to the genetic informationinherited by humans.In addition to the five essential levels of information mentioned inChapter 4 (statistics, syntax, semantics, pragmatics, and apobetics),it is also advantageous to consider a three-fold vertical division oftypes of information:1. Constructional/Creative information: This includes all informationwhich is used for the purpose of producing something.Before anything can be made, the originator mobilises his intelligence,his supply of ideas, his know-how, and his inventivenessto encode his concept in a suitable way. There are many typesof encoded blueprints, e. g. technical drawings for the constructionof a machine, a cake recipe, details of the chemical processesfor synthesising polyvinyl chloride, an electrical circuit diagram,or the genetic information required for the construction of a livingcell.The criteria for evaluating the searched-for solution are found bothin the conceptual stage (semantic aspect of the information) and inthe sophistication of the implementation (pragmatics). One or more108