you're right about the book, my bad.

Not at all. He doesn mention Kant, but he doesn't go into all the intricacies. That's one of the good things about that book - mercifully free of jargon and academic philosophy speak.

On that note, I’ll be signing out for Christmas. My dear other has made it clear that festive time is not ideally spent arguing with my invisible friends. All the best to everyone here for the festive season :party: :pray: :hearts:

I imagine DNA is the first appearance of information. — Patterner

As @Wayfarer points out, what information means is quite context dependent. For the specific meaning you have in mind, symbolic or encoded information, I would say, yes! I think you are right. If life arose on earth first, DNA may indeed mark the emergence of symbolic information.in the universe.

What is interesting is how the seed of DNA birthed the Cambrian explosion of symbolic information. From chemical communication to vocal, to language, to our current lives which seem totally dominated by symbols. All this required the kindling of DNA, which launched and spread all the symbolic regimes in the universe.

Marry Christmas!

Information is not a metaphysically basic, because it is not ontologically autonomous. — Wayfarer

This is certainly a reasonable position. And yet, the fact that information can remain constant durung radical transformations of matter does seem to suggest a kind of independence.

If it has true independence, it would be as mathematics. At least computationally, any set of information can be represented as a single, potentially enormous, number. And if anything has a platonic existence, independent of the material world, it is math.

My dear other has made it clear that festive time is not ideally spent arguing with my invisible friends. — Wayfarer

An outrage!!! If I wasn't but a figment of your imagination, I'd be horribly insulted!!!

The problem with 'information' is that, as a general term, it doesn't mean anything. It has to specify something or be about something to be a meaningful expression. — Wayfarer

The is what it means. Information means something that specifies or is about something else. One thing means another thing. Is there any example of information that that does not apply to?