关于信息科学和信息哲学的性质和统一性关系——记邬焜与佩德罗的对话

About the Nature and Unification Relationship of Information Science and Information Philosophy——An Academic Conversation between Wu Kun and Pedro Marijuan

应国际信息研究学会(IS4IS)副主席、西安交通大学国际信息哲学研究中心主任、人文社会科学学院邬焜教授邀请,国际信息科学基金会主席、联合创始人,国际信息研究学会副主席,西班牙阿拉贡健康科学研究中心主任佩德罗·马里胡安(Pedro C.Marijuan)教授于2016年11月在西安交通大学进行了为期10天的学术访问。期间,马里胡安教授与邬焜教授就"信息科学和信息哲学的性质和统一性关系"这一主题进行了学术对话。此次对话由西安交通大学王振嵩博士全程负责中英文互动翻译并撰写成文。当代信息科学的发展面临着学科壁垒严重和信息定义不明等困难,这些问题是建立统一信息科学的障碍。如何克服这些障碍是许多科学家和哲学家致力解决的问题。而当代信息哲学研究为克服那些障碍提供了方法与进路。并进一步讨论了诸多子问题,如:信息科学技术的起源与发展问题、实体概念问题、建立统一信息哲学的基本原则问题,生物信息学的相关研究,信息哲学的认识论的中介问题,信息流与能量流的关系问题,计算主义与一般信息理论的地位问题,统一信息科学的应有结构问题等等。并达成了一些重要的共识,如:(1)对信息的理解要上升到元科学和元哲学的层次;(2)统一的信息科学应该首先在哲学领域完成统一;(3)计算主义并不能主导建立统一信息科学;(4)统一信息科学必然建立在对信息科学现状的批判和超越之上;(5)信息科学中不同学科领域的沟通需要由信息哲学来完成;(6)统一信息科学需要有统一的研究对象—信息体;(7)统一的信息科学需要有统一的思维方式—信息思维。此次学术对话不仅对信息科学和信息哲学的发展现状和趋势作出概括和梳理,而且对统一信息科学发展方向提出了建设性意见,两位学者均认为统一信息科学的建立需要信息哲学的指导,一门成熟的信息哲学是建立统一信息科学的基础。为简便起见,下面分别以"W"和"P"来指代对话中邬焜和佩德罗·马里胡安两位教授的称谓。

At the invitation of Prof.Kun Wu,Head of the International Center for the Philosophy of Information at the Xi’An Jiaotong University,Prof.Pedro C.Marijuan,Chairman of FIS(Association of Foundation of Information Science)paid a ten-day academic visit to the University in November 2016.During his visit,Prof.Marijuan have an academic conversation with Prof.Wu on the topic of“The Nature and Unification of Information Science and Information Philosophy”.PhD student Zhensong Wang in Xi’an Jiaotong University has been the interpreter during this academic conversation,and this article has been compiled by him.The development of modern information science faces many difficulties,such as disciplinary barriers and obscure definition of information,all of which are obstacles for building unified information science.How to overcome those obstacles is the primary job for many scientists and philosophers.And the information philosophy mentioned in this dialogue provides approaches to defeat those obstacles.Under the main topic,several sub-topics were further discussed,such as the origin and development of information science and technology,the concept of entity,the fundamental principles for building a unified information science,relevant bio-information studies,the epistemological media of information philosophy,the relationship between information flows and matter-energy flows,the statuses of computationalism and general information theory,the structure of unified information science and so on.They came to a consensus on the following points:1.The understanding of the concept of information should be at the level of meta-science and meta-philosophy;2.The premise for the unification of information sciences is a unified information philosophy;3.Computationalism cannot take the lead in the process of building a unified information science;4.A unified information science must be built through criticizing and transcending the current situation of the information sciences;5.The communication among diverse disciplines and fields within the scope of the information sciences can and should be improved by reference to information philosophy;6.For its research,a unified information science needs a unified object-information entity(the“informosome”,previously defined by Professor Wu);7.A unified information science also requires a unified mode of information thinking.Further information about the dialogue between Prof.Kun Wu and Prof.Pedro Marijuan is presented in the full paper.This academic dialogue not only summarizes the current situation and trend of development of information science and information philosophy,but also provides constructive suggestions for the development of unified information science.Both of the two scholars come to the agreement that the establishment of unified information science needs the guidance of information philosophy,and a mature information philosophy is the foundation of building the unified information science.I will use“W”and“P”to separately indicate Professor Wu Kun and Professor Pedro Marijuan in the following.