some musings on data and interpretation

Some ideas that came out easily, on the 9th of June 2005. It feels like they're going somewhere, but not without some thought, and probably a lot of maths and programming.

• Data is inextricably linked to the methods that process it.

• Memories have a language of their own, do humans share the language of memories? Could a goal of humanity be the effective translation of our language of memories? Could imperfection in translation be a huge source of conflict too?

• Information is symbolic, without a means of interpreting the symbols the information conveys nothing.

• Once the symbols can be distinguished, patterns within the symbols can be accessed. However, the original meaning (intent) may be lost and will generally be distorted.

• Given a set of symbols and an interpretative mechanism for those symbols, to what extent are the patterns spotted a result of information within the interpretative mechanism, and to what extent are the patterns spotted a function of the information within the symbols? I rather suspect that this question also misses a point: It falls foul of the fallacies of subject/object metaphysics. Within any interaction there is participation from both sides. For an interpretative mechanism to detect patterns within symbols there will have to be a contribution of information from both sides, at some level.

• Interpretative mechanisms range in style: some seek to minimize their input of information while maximizing the effect of the external data, others use external data as a randomizing element or mixing agent for expression of their own internal data (maybe this is a good framework for interpreting the occult/astrology/science etc.?).

• An interpretative mechanism which includes the assumption that it does't affect the data it processes is ultimately flawed. (See subject/object metaphysics). Science often falls foul of this.

• Data with no obviously associated interpretative mechanism is worth less, all other things being equal, than data with an interpretative mechanism.

• High quality data may be restricted by a low quality interpretative mechanism, and vice versa etc.

• Data can be represented by a set of symbols. An interpretative mechanism can be represented by a processor for that set of symbols, which may generate another set of symbols in response, or may create some physical output or whatever.

• Data never exists as a set of symbols (except in the universe of platonic forms...). Instances of data almost always have some elements of the interpretative mechanism held locally. That is to say, the interpretative mechanism has a large influence on the manifestation of the data. Usually data and an interpretative mechanism co-evolve together, and are intimately interconnected, even if only at substrate levels (eg, dependence on ASCII, or spoken language or whatever).

• An interesting model of reality is merely a seething array of interdependent information. The extent of this information is phenomenal, and the levels of structure range across the orders of magnitude widely.