Grammatical Man: Information, Entropy, Language, and Life

by Jeremy Campbell

Book Overview

Illustrates how the new science of information theory unifies a remarkable number of other sciences, arguing that even the most complex systems are based on a few basic rules. This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0671440616
• ISBN13: 9780671440619
• Release Date: January 1982
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster
• Length: 319 Pages
• Weight: 1.13 lbs.

Customer Reviews

An Intro to Information Theory

This book succeeds in its stated intention of giving an overview of the development of information theory. Human beings are "decoders" who interpret information. Scientific theories are human creations seeking to enlighten. The author explains a basic explanation from information theory, i.e., that "in an ordinary conversation, information is conveyed when the speaker says something that changes the listener's knowledge."Campbell attacks Darwin's theory, writing, "One major difficulty is that the central argument of Darwinian theory circles back on itself, explaining nothing." He goes into detail on why evolution is unscientific.The brain makes decisions along the way as to what information it will process and how it will interpret what it takes in. "All seeing is interpretation" he writes. He describes the "editing" process of the brain: "...that does not imply that memory necessarily preserves the original meaning intact. The brain goes to work on information while it is being stored in memory,interpreting, drawing inferences, making assumptions, fitting it into a context of past experience and knowledge already acquired."This is a helpful book on information theory, the workings of the brain, and the process of interpreting what one sees. It will open the mind of the nonjudgmental reader.

So many insights on "things being", you have to take notes

Jeremy Campbell performs an absolutely brilliant work, linking and polishing all the important concepts about every level of the universe, in such a way that even when they are the most arcane and "for-initiated-only" in their respective fields, they become crystal clear and ebulliently alive through the pages. I actually HAD to take notes carefully quoting him, in order to preserve the understanding and the wonder conveyed by the exact writing. An invaluable piece on the uniqueness of information that is a truly unique piece of the richest information itself. A book to be read many times, especially good if you are a scientist battling with specific facts every day and would appreciate to refresh your perspective of what is the universe all about.

a complimentary theme to Darwin among the Machines

Explore the relationship between Shannon's communication theory, entropy, DNA coding, cell development and the evolution of intelligence as suggested by Dyson in "Darwin among the Machines".

Entropy Is Not the Last Word

A vivid, rigorous, yet accessible scientific support for what we know intuitively is true-- that there is a force for order and creation in the universe, and that humans are by nature in tune with it. The implications are wide-ranging and profound, yet applicable on a day to day basis; there is more to the universe than the simple winding down of entropy, and disorder and chaos are not necessarily the enemy