What's transmitted? Inherited information.
Commentary on Bergstrom and Rosvall, 'The transmission sense of information', <em>Biology and Philosophy</em>. In response to worries that uses of the concept of information in biology are mataphorical or insubstantial, Bergstrom and Rosvall have identified a sense in which DNA...
| Autor principal: | |
|---|---|
| Formato: | Journal article |
| Lenguaje: | English |
| Publicado: |
Springer
2011
|
| Materias: |
| Sumario: | Commentary on Bergstrom and Rosvall, 'The transmission sense of information', <em>Biology and Philosophy</em>. In response to worries that uses of the concept of information in biology are mataphorical or insubstantial, Bergstrom and Rosvall have identified a sense in which DNA transmits information down the generations. Their 'transmission view of information' is founded on a claim about DNA's teleofunction. Bergstrom and Rosvall see their transmission view of information as a rival to semantic accounts. This commentary argues that it is complementary. The idea that DNA is transmitting information down the generation only makes sense if it is carrying a message, that is to say if it has semantic content. |
|---|