A human information behavior approach to a philosophy of information

Library Trends, Wntr, 2004 by Amanda Spink, Charles Cole

ABSTRACT

THIS PAPER OUTLINES THE RELATION between philosophy of information (PI) and human information behavior (HIB). In this paper, we first briefly outline the basic constructs and approaches of PI and HIB. We argue that a strong relation exists between PI and HIB, as both are exploring the concept of information and premise information as a fundamental concept basic to human existence. We then exemplify that a heuristic approach to PI integrates the HIB view of information as a cognitive human-initiated process by presenting a specific cognitive architecture for information initiation based on modular notion from HIB/evolutionary psychology and the vacuum mechanism from PI.

INTRODUCTION

Many disciplines are grappling with the concept of information in the information age. Researchers in library and information science (LIS) are using tools from hermeneutics, cybernetics, and semiotics to define its parameters and nature (Herold, 2001). However, there is also a need to examine the subject from a broader perspective, as Herold (2001) suggests within the emerging field called philosophy of information (PI).

As well as providing LIS with a broader perspective on the question of information, PI provides an alternative to LIS's reliance on computer science and its diverse theoretical orientations such as the philosophy of computer science, the philosophy of computing or computation, the philosophy of artificial intelligence (AI), etc. (Floridi, 2002b). The primary proponent of PI is Floridi (2002a, b). Floridi argues that AI acted as a "Trojan horse," bringing a computational/informational paradigm into philosophy (i.e., with its own subjects, methods, and models, and its own perspective on traditional philosophical concepts such as the mind, consciousness, experience, knowledge, truth, etc. (Bynum & Moor, 1998). As a result of AI, information "acquired the nature of a primary phenomenon" (Floridi, 2002b). However, in PI, information, not AI's primary, concept computation, becomes the more fundamental concept.

Our paper discusses the relationship between PI and human information behavior (HIB), which is a developing perspective in LIS. A strong relation exists between PI and HIB, as both explore the concept of information as a fundamental human concept that defines human existence and gives life meaning. Specifically, we argue that the HIB perspective or approach facilitates the occurrence of LIS's role as applied PI, as suggested by Herold (2001) and Floridi (2002a).

As an applied form of PI, the HIB perspective in LIS should concern itself with the design of services and systems that facilitate the role of information in human existence. In effect, this widens information retrieval (IR) design's traditional emphasis on the focused information seeking/searching behavior of individuals, predominantly in the school or workplace. The Internet and its ability to offer information to a wide range of people at work, school, but most importantly at home, have widened LIS's definition of its role to the home information situation as well for example, the seeking of health information that is widely available on the Web. Other forms of home information-seeking behavior, such as surfing the Web without real purpose and with constantly shifting tactical goals, are widening LIS's definition of its role still further (e.g., Spink et al., in press).

HIB looks at the entire human condition, thus expanding information and its role in human life to its widest possible level. Why do we seek information all the time, often without apparent reason, often without even being aware of it, seemingly for its own sake? HIB answers the question by linking the human condition and information together. Information and information acquisition are seen as fundamental to human existence, enabling us to constantly adapt so that we can survive in an ever-changing physical and social environment (Spink & Cole, in press). This broad, fundamental perspective makes HIB the ideal LIS perspective through which the tenets and theoretical constructs of PI can be applied to theoretical and real-world information-related problems.

In this article, we link the basic constructs and approaches of PI to parallel constructs in HIB. We further argue that a heuristic approach to PI should account for and integrate the HIB view of information as a cognitive human-initiated process. We then provide an example of an HIB approach to information as a human-initiated cognitive process, based on HIB's developing modular approach to human information/cognitive architecture.

PI

Floridi's approach to a PI starts from the view that information in the information age has become "a concept as fundamental and philosophically important as 'being,' 'knowledge,' 'life,' 'intelligence,' 'meaning,' or 'moral good and evil.' All these pivotal concepts are interdependent with information and are equally worthy of autonomous investigation" (Floridi, 2002a). Therefore, Floridi (2002a) suggests that such a fundamental concept requires a new field of research.