About the Philosophy of Information

The philosophy of information is the branch of philosophy devoted to the thematic study of information in all its forms, and to the application of informational methods to new and traditional philosophical problems. The philosophy of information is not limited to any particular doctrine or methodology; rather, it is unified by its central focus on information as it plays out in both theory and practice.

As an academic subject, the philosophy of information is interdisciplinary. Scholars working in it come from philosophy as well as from a range of other academic disciplines, including cognitive science, computer science, economics, engineering, history, information science, jurisprudence, linguistics, mass media studies, mathematics, physics, political science, and psychology.

As a research area, the philosophy of information engages with issues of contemporary concern in a constructive dialogue with multiple stakeholders, especially but not only from civil society, political institutions, NGOs, and industry. As a consequence, its non-academic impact concerns areas such as applied ethics, design, education, health and safety, policy-making, security, and scientific practice.

Like other areas within philosophy (e.g., the philosophies of language, mind, technology, etc.), the philosophy of information cuts across the broader spectrum of the discipline into matters that also concern other branches of philosophy, such as epistemology, ethics, logic, metaphysics, political philosophy, the philosophy of artificial intelligence, the philosophy of language, the philosophy of law, the philosophy of science, and the philosophy of mind.

Examples of topics addressed by the philosophy of information include, among others: the nature of information; the modalities of information processing; the relations between information, knowledge, and meaning; the informational nature of mental life; the informational interpretation of reality; the value of information; the role of information in society and human interactions; and the politics of information.