Mutual Redundancies in Inter-human Communication Systems: Steps Towards
a Calculus of Processing Meaning
release_nj26e6lafzfhjnlvakqjsdaydq
by
Loet Leydesdorff, Inga A. Ivanova
2013
Abstract
The study of inter-human communication requires a more complex framework than
Shannon's (1948) mathematical theory of communication because "information" is
defined in the latter case as meaningless uncertainty. Assuming that meaning
cannot be communicated, we extend Shannon's theory by defining mutual
redundancy as a positional counterpart of the relational communication of
information. Mutual redundancy indicates the surplus of meanings that can be
provided to the exchanges in reflexive communications. The information is
redundant because based on "pure sets," that is, without subtraction of mutual
information in the overlaps. We show that in the three-dimensional case (e.g.,
of a Triple Helix of university-industry-government relations), mutual
redundancy is equal to mutual information (Rxyz = Txyz); but when the
dimensionality is even, the sign is different. We generalize to the measurement
in N dimensions and proceed to the interpretation. Using Luhmann's
social-systems theory and/or Giddens' structuration theory, mutual redundancy
can be provided with an interpretation in the sociological case: different
meaning-processing structures code and decode with other algorithms. A surplus
of ("absent") options can then be generated that add to the redundancy.
Luhmann's "functional (sub)systems" of expectations or Giddens' "rule-resource
sets" are positioned mutually, but coupled operationally in events or
"instantiated" in actions. Shannon-type information is generated by the
mediation, but the "structures" are (re-)positioned towards one another as sets
of (potentially counterfactual) expectations. The structural differences among
the coding and decoding algorithms provide a source of additional options in
reflexive and anticipatory communications.
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