Computation, Information, and Interperspectival Content

Abstract

It is argued that perspectival contents run deeply through our accounts of computation and information, and that perspectival content is critical to our interpretation of natural and artifactual computational systems, and the very notion of information itself. The chapter concludes that we get to call the shots on what information is being transmitted between systems in nature. This is analogous to our interpretation and reports on the beliefs and desires of other persons. The relevant information is information that is accessible to us as observers and is a function of our explanation and understanding of the behaviors of informational systems in nature. In short, all information flow, whether natural or the product of human intentions, ultimately bottoms out in perspectival contents.