In the Beginning was Information

8 Three Kinds of Transmitted InformationIn our study of the nature of information we have come across variousdifferent distinguishing criteria:a) Distinction according to aspect: statistics, syntax, semantics,pragmatics, and apobetics.b) Distinction according to purpose: constructional/creative information,operational, and communication information.c) Distinction according to direction of flow: transmitted orreceived information.Yet another distinction could also be made regarding the senderand the quality of the information processing involved. There arethree types:1. Copied information: This comprises the identical propagationof existing information. No new information arises during copying,so that it is a mechanical process and not an intellectual one. Theequipment and methods used for copying were created by the initiativeof one or more minds, and the copying process itself is alsoa deliberate and purposeful action, but it can be done by a machine.Examples of copied information: Duplication of a computer programin a data processing system (e. g. magnetic tape, magneticdisk, and real memory), replication of DNA molecules in livingcells, the second printing of a book without any changes or additions,making a photocopy, and reading an extract or a letter. Everypiece of copied information must however have been createdsomewhere along the line.2. Reproduced information: In the arts there is a clear distinctionbetween the original composer, poet, or writer, and the subsequentperformers of such works. An actor did not create the acts or thetext, but he does contribute by employing his own talents of intonation,mimicry, and creativity. Similarly, when a Mozart symphonyor a Bach cantata is performed, the musicians play a reproductiverole – they do not alter the work of the composer, but theymight introduce individual effects. We thus define reproduced112