INFORMATION (Irrelevant)
Charles François (2004). INFORMATION (Irrelevant), International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics, 2(1): 1667.
| Collection | International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics |
|---|---|
| Year | 2004 |
| Vol. (num.) | 2(1) |
| ID | ◀ 1667 ▶ |
| Object type | Methodology or model |
- “Information which operates on a subspace orthogonal to that specified by the question” (D. Mac KAY, 1969, p.74).
This somewhat abstract formulation means that any question specifies an area in which information is needed and any information not referred to that area has no practical value as a response to the question.
Mac KAY adds that irrelevant information “is clearly distinct from ”semantic noise“ which is any feature of a message that reduces the sharpness of the selective operation on the required subspace” (Ibid) (i.e. within the specified area).