3 Substances in 3 Environments

According to Luciano Floridi, an "information object" refers to any entity that can be understood as a cluster of data, considered as a meaningful unit with inherent structure, essentially viewing reality as a network of interconnected information "objects" rather than simply physical things; this concept is central to his "philosophy of information" where he argues that all entities can be analyzed as information objects at different levels of abstraction.

Stephen,

I am sorry to be so awkward, and probably we will never agree! However, would a smartphone full of pictures count as an information object (or perhaps a network of such phones)?

However, if indeed all entities "can be analysed as information objects" then 'I'd argue the definition is vacuous.

I think we both feel the constraint of purely physical ways of thinking, but I prefer to resolve this by recognising a non-physical real and avoid juggling with words.

Am I right that you got your approach from the "Third Way"? Have you considered the possibility that the TW folk may be just plain wrong, or that they cultivate ambiguous prose to pretend to be materialists when in reality they aren't?

David

Stephen,
I am sorry to be so awkward, and probably we will never agree! However, would a smartphone full of pictures count as an information object (or perhaps a network of such phones)?
However, if indeed all entities "can be analysed as information objects" then 'I'd argue the definition is vacuous.
I think we both feel the constraint of purely physical ways of thinking, but I prefer to resolve this by recognising a non-physical real and avoid juggling with words.
Am I right that you got your approach from the "Third Way"? Have you considered the possibility that the TW folk may be just plain wrong, or that they cultivate ambiguous prose to pretend to be materialists when in reality they aren't?
David

Not awkward at all.  Each picture in the camera is a digital object.  I think the i-object idea needs to be in the context of use, just as one would think about a physical object. Form follows function for information objects, as it does for machines.

The key assertion I make is --there exists fundamental connections of "structure to action" in an i-object, equivalent to the connection of matter to energy in physicality.  Every physical object is measured as to structural variables and its potential and kinetic states of energy.  Representation and meaning can be understood to underlie i-objects like a picture, saying, icon, symbol, branding, belief, motive, experience or vibe.
  
Messages explode as much as bombs....just in separate environments.

The usefulness in pictures is the individualized images and vivid meanings, which they convey.  In the informational environment, there would be the structure in the digital code (Shannon Info) AND there are the probable meanings that can be communicated to an agent.  The reality flowing from meaning can inspire experience and expression.  That is the analog to energy and and effects from informational causes.  A shaping of the environment (and change of state) happens when an experience carries deep meaning.


Here is context for the use of the term object, in recent information jargon.
  

Object-oriented programming (OOP) is a programming model that organizes software around objects, which are made up of data and code. OOP is a popular approach for building programs because it makes them more efficient and easier to understand.

What are examples of objects in information systems?

Examples of objects in cybersecurity include files, records, tables, processes, programs, and domains. The creation of objects is an integral part of developing secure information systems, ensuring that they are designed with mechanisms to protect data and control access to sensitive information.