Carousel of Time

Bernard Ancori is Professor Emeritus of Epistemology and History of Science at the University of Strasbourg, and Researcher at The Henri Poincaré Archives – Philosophy and Research on Science and Technology, France.

• Foreword ixAcknowledgments xvIntroduction xviiPart 1. Foundations 1Chapter 1. Information, Communication and Learning 31.1. Claude Shannon’s model 41.1.1. Ralph Vinton Hartley, Claude Shannon’s forerunner 51.1.2. Claude Shannon’s formula and the two fundamental theorems of telegraphic communication 61.1.3. The eight main characteristics of the Shannonian theory of communication 91.2. Gregory Bateson’s model 111.2.1. The immanent mind and the Batesonian definition of information 111.2.2. The Batesonian categorization of learning 131.2.3. The eight main characteristics of Batesonian communication theory 16Chapter 2. Self-organization and Natural Complexity 232.1. Self-organization and information creation 232.2. Meaning of information in a hierarchical system 312.2.1. Order from noise versus organizational noise 312.2.2. Complexity and complication 332.2.3. Meaning of information in a hierarchical system 36Chapter 3. Human Memory as a Self-organized Natural System 413.1. The theory of functional localization or invented memory 423.1.1. The theory of functional localization 423.1.2. Against functional localization 453.2. Neural Darwinism and inventive memory 47Chapter 4. Hypotheses Linked to the Model 634.1. Six hypotheses relating to the structure of the network 644.2. Eight hypotheses relating to the evolution of the network 704.2.1. Assumptions related to inter-individual communication 714.2.2. Hypotheses related to intra-individual cognition 74Part 2. Space 81Chapter 5. Scope, Dimensions, Measurements and Mobilizations 835.1. Inter-individual communication and learning 855.2. Categorization and learning 925.2.1. The creative analogy of weak novelty: the example of Planck’s formula 955.2.2. The creative analogy of radical novelty: Gregory Bateson’s “grass syllogism” 101Chapter 6. Provisional Regionalization and Final Homogenization 1136.1. Formation of clusters of actors and regionalization of the network space 1146.2. Instability and erasure of regions within the network 1246.3. Evolution of information production at the level of the global network and at the level of each cluster of actors 132Part 3. Time 141Chapter 7. Propensities to Communicate, the Specious Present and Time as Such, the Point of View from Everywhere and the Ancestrality’s Paradox 1437.1. Propensities to communicate and the specious present 1447.2. Subjective time, objective time and time as such 1517.3. A point of view from nowhere or a point of view from everywhere? 1567.4. On an alleged “ancestrality’s paradox” 161Chapter 8. Déjà-vu and the Specious Present 1718.1. A history of interpretations of the déjà-vu phenomenon 1728.2. Déjà-vu and the specious present: an interpretation 179Chapter 9. The Acceleration of Time, Presentism and Entropy 1879.1. Historical time, irreversibility and end of time 1889.2. On the sensation of acceleration of time and presentism 1939.2.1. A psychological interpretation of the acceleration of time 1939.2.2. A socio-historical interpretation of the acceleration of time 1979.3. Irreversibility of time and entropy of the network 2029.3.1. A brief presentation of the genesis of the entropy concept 2039.3.2. The entropy law and network trajectory 2059.3.3. Entropy theory and trajectory of the complex socio-cognitive network of individual actors 209Chapter 10. Temporal Disruptions 21310.1. The translation of beliefs 21610.2. Revisions of beliefs and the possible worlds semantics 21910.3. The weak transformation of beliefs: learning and normal science 22210.4. The radical transformation of beliefs: learning and scientific revolution 226Conclusion 235References 249Index 269