Chapter One: Information Dynamics

Information Dynamics

Why are We Here? This question has been asked and answered billions of times, and most of the time, the answer has been close to the truth, or the truth wrapped in a metaphysical story with the best of intentions. The actual truth is very simple, as it always is when recognized or discovered.

We are here because we are sophisticated beings who are highly concentrated instances of information, who create information at astounding rates, who exchange and distribute information at astounding rates, and who increase the complexity of information at astounding rates. We are a high-performance engine of information, and we always have been. All of our activities and relationships, at the most fundamental level, are all about increasing information, even survival and reproduction themselves.

In the beginning, there was light. This quickly became matter in the simplest forms: hydrogen and helium. Which quickly became matter in more complex forms: higher concentrations of protons, neutrons, and electrons: new heavier atoms and then inorganic molecules such as Carbon Dioxide and Water. In parallel, the light also began to become more complex as energy expanded across the electromagnetic spectrum. What drove this process? The laws of physics, of course.

The first law of thermodynamics says that heat (enthalpy) will be distributed to the maximum extent possible in any system, meaning that as it is distributed more widely, heat will dissipate and matter will cool. The second law of thermodynamics says that entropy will increase to the maximum extent possible in any system, meaning that matter and energy will dissociate (chaos will increase). Matter and energy are containers or instances of information, just as people are instances of information.

Information has not been usually considered a physical entity, as have been matter and energy or time. It is as much a physical entity as these, and more important to us (its why we are here), because the flow of information is one of two binding forces in the universe. While other key physical forces are either expansive and dissociative, or contracting and associative in nature, the flow of information is expansive and associative in nature. In other words, information increases in concentration and complexity (associative), while also increasing in quantity and distribution (expansive). And it always has, from the very beginning of the universe.

Gravity accounts for the important phenomena that results in the concentration of matter and energy in stars, planets, land and seas. This law is contracting and associative in nature. Gravity not only results in stars and planets, etc., it is so powerful a force that it can increase the concentration of matter and energy to the point where it seems to be missing from the universe: black holes.

Thermodynamics & Gravity (technical)

Both thermodynamic laws are expansive and dissociative in nature. These laws result in increased distribution of information: as the universe expands, so does the spatial distribution of matter and energy, which are in fact also information entities. This information is in the form of physical chemistry or quantum mechanical information, and as these instances are spatially distributed, the result is also increased distribution of these physical instances of information.

Gravity’s concentration force results in increased information: as energy and matter increase in concentration, there results more physical chemistry or quantum mechanical information: more math if you would, but also more variety of physical instances of higher order information. But, that’s about it for the potential for physical information to increase in the domain of matter, energy, time, and gravity. In most environments throughout the universe: there only exists 1) gravity; 2) time; 3) energy across the electromagnetic spectrum; and 4) simple forms of matter: a) plasmas and solids of minerals containing atoms across the spectrum of the chemical elements such as sulfur and phosphorus, or heavy atoms like uranium, b) gases such as CO2, and c) liquids such Water or mercury. These physical entities define the maximum amount of information that may be realized in non-complex instances. However, it’s quite important to realize this is an astonishing amount of information, some of it still poorly understood by the scientific community.

Law of Information Dynamics (for all)

The missing law that drives increased complexity is the law of Information Dynamics: To the maximum extent, information must increase in quantity, concentration, complexity, and distribution. It is this law that stands with gravity in opposition to entropy or chaos. This law is apparent in the physics of the universe, and has been realized from the very beginning. However, there are information ceilings of sorts: natural tipping points where a significant change must occur for information to continue to increase. For example, information cannot keep increasing in its qualities of quantity, concentration, complexity, and distribution if there is no domain beyond that of inorganic matter, energy, time, and gravity.

For information to increase, the energy, time, gravity, and inorganic chemistry discussed above is a limiting domain. There are few chemical elements, types of atoms, which are naturally capable of existing in increasingly complex forms. The most familiar to us is Carbon. In the right environment of heat, pressure, and water, the limiting domain results in a natural tipping point: information increases by the formation of long-chain Carbon-based molecules. These have an incredible variety of physical properties and physical chemistry, and the science of Organic Chemistry is devoted to the study of the varieties of Carbon-based molecules.

The second tipping point is when organic chemistry reaches its maximum in the quantity, complexity, concentration, and distribution of information. The only way for information to continue to increase is for biological life to begin from the next lower stage, organic chemistry. Thus begins the chain of life that has defined human beings. It’s an important chain, because we are not only incredibly complex instances of information, we have inherited communication modes from all of our more primitive predecessors, some of which are active and conscious, some are active and unconscious, and some are inactive. We represent a third tipping point in nature: we have dramatic capabilities all oriented towards the increase of information in each of its qualities: quantity, complexity, concentration, and distribution; and we have created incredibly complex and effective new means of communication.

Potential Organic Chemistry (technical)

In other environments of heat, pressure, and Water (or liquid/dissolved Hydrogen Sulfide), it is possible that Silicon which is in the same electronic valence state as Carbon could also form a high variety of long-chain molecules. An electronic valence state is simply the number of electrons in an atom that are available to bind to other atoms. As atoms get heavier, a pattern about electronic valences develops and is illustrated by the well-known Periodic Table of Chemical Elements: atoms in the same column have the same natural electronic valence state. However, on Earth, its Carbon and Water that accomplishes the increase of information beyond inorganic physical chemistry. Hydrogen Sulfide (H2S) is also an important chemical medium for organic chemistry: it has the same structure and many of the same physical properties of Water (H2O) because Sulfur is in the same electronic valence state as Oxygen.

Information is Physical (for all)

This isn’t the esoteric subject that it may seem at this point. Through Information Dynamics, we can not only answer the question people have asked, ever since they were able to ask it: Why are We Here?, we can use this theory to rationally explore many of the questions that are relevant to the course of our lives:
• Who am I?
• What exactly are my relationships with other individuals and groups of people, why is there conflict, why is there cooperation, and how can I improve these relationships?
• What exactly are the relationships between communities, religions, and nations, why is there conflict, why is there cooperation, and how can we improve these relationships?
• What are the answers to major theological, metaphysical, spiritual, and psychological questions? Why do people and nations war with each other, and how can we grow past these conflicts to end the cycles of violence in our world?

Information Dynamics explores these questions, and like any science, is neutral to religion. Answers found may replace some theological ideas or dogma with scientific hypotheses, depending on the religion. There is significant promise for reducing conflict and tragedy. We only need to consider and study the physical nature of Information and Information Flows to take this important step.

The physical nature of information: Information is an expansive and associative force: Information must increase in quantity, complexity, concentration, and distribution. Information is an Intention: a dynamic knowledge-set such as databases, websites, books or your thoughts; or a dynamic rule-set such as mathematical expressions, art forms, political laws, or your sense of morality. Books do not at first seem very dynamic: most collect much dust on shelves. However, when you consider how a book may become the subject of theses, discussion groups, and critical reviews, or may be re-fashioned into a play or a movie, or initiate a series of sequels, then of course they must be considered dynamic indeed. Knowledge-sets are often packaged with rule-sets, with increasing quantity, complexity, and concentration. Any science book is such a package, and so is a telephone conversation, a computer application, a religious text, and a law, code, or regulation.

Information Flows (for all)

Information flows with Intention to effectively communicate or distribute an information package: some type of signal transmitted in some type of channel. This may be a book store or publishing house, a telephone company, a government or community forum, an internet provider, a radio station, and your voice or hand-signs, and of course your body language.

The physical nature of Information Flow is an equilibrium, or balance, of Potential (P), Velocity (V), and Resistance (R). For water, the Potential is the height from which the water is flowing, which can be augmented or replaced by pressure created in a pump. The Velocity is the speed of the flow, of course, and is constrained by the width of the pipe. The Resistance is the friction of the pipe wall. Information flows the same way:

What is the Potential? It is Intention (I), the information to be created in terms of quantity and/or complexity, or concentrated, so that there results a new capability for further increases of information. It is also Intention for information to be distributed as a message.
What is Velocity? It is both identified by and constrained by the channel or medium in which the Intention is communicated; e.g., rate of delivery by voice, bandwidth or optical pipe. It is the Transmission (T) speed of the information in its various distribution modes.
What is Resistance? It is Noise (N) in the information channel, interference in the information exchange from a variety of sources which are discussed in more detail later.

Flow Calculus (technical)

Related to thermodynamic laws, as an abstraction of more complicated equations of quantum mechanics, are the famous Maxwell partial differential equations, which describe the flows of heat, energy, electricity, chemical reactions, gases and liquids. The form of these flows is exactly the same for all these types, where there are three basic parameters: Potential (P), Velocity (V), and Resistance (R).
Maxwell equations are expressed as functions of time, and for each type of flow, the solutions must include some additional constants such as the value of acceleration of gravity, and such as the thermal heat capacity or electrical resistance of the flow media.

The Maxwell equations for any given flow condition of any type have the following form:
d2P + d2V + d2R = 0
dt2 dt2 dt2

The zero in the above equation demonstrates another principal concept in all flows: there is always an equilibrium that determines the extent to which the Potential for flow is realized.

Applied Information Flows (for all)

Whether you are familiar with calculus or not, it is important to understand that Information flows the same way as more the familiar flows, such as water in a pipe or electricity or heat. An Information Flow may be mathematically expressed as:
d2I + d2T + d2N = 0
dt2 dt2 dt2

Math aside, why is this important? Because when we understand information is a physical force, and we understand that information flows in the same manner as all other physical flows, then we can de-mystify our understanding of this process and its results. This process is what our lives are all about: shaping our interests, our self-awareness, our votes, our relationships, and our livelihoods. Its results include politics, marriages, societies, behaviors both constructive and destructive, organizations, organizational hierarchies, laws, religion, technical progress, cooperation, conflict, and war. So very important indeed. Very relevantly, the law of information dynamics is not complicated, these are simple truths that in turn can simplify our understanding of the important aspects of our lives, and help us really understand the answer to this question: Why are We Here?