information-as-physical
The chapter argues that information is a physical entity that permeates sciences and technologies, from communication systems to biology and cognitive processes.
1 chapter across 1 book
The Information (2011)James Gleick
Chapter 13 of James Gleick's "The Information" explores the foundational year 1948 when Claude Shannon published his seminal "A Mathematical Theory of Communication," establishing the bit as a fundamental unit of information. The chapter situates Shannon's work alongside the invention of the transistor, emphasizing the shift from hardware to abstract information theory, and traces the conceptual purification of 'information' into a measurable quantity that underpins modern communication, computation, and biology. It highlights Shannon's unique blend of engineering and mathematics, his influences, and the emergence of information as a central principle across disciplines.