Information as Relation: Bridging Physics and Meaning

In previous posts, we explored how reality, from quantum events to spacetime, emerges from relational fields of potential under constraint. Another crucial concept to examine is information—a notion central not only to physics but also to communication, computation, and meaning.

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1. Information Beyond Bits and Particles

Traditional views treat information as:

• Abstract data (bits) stored and transmitted by physical carriers (particles, fields).

• Something that can be fully separated from the physical substrate.

In a relational ontology, information is better understood as:

• Patterns of relational coherence and constraint modulation.

• The systemic articulation of differences that actualise potential states.

• Fundamentally intertwined with the physical processes that instantiate it—information is relation embodied.

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2. Physical Information as Dynamic Constraint

• Information arises where relations constrain the range of possible configurations.

• Physical systems encode information not by storing fixed symbols but by maintaining and transforming relational patterns.

• This dynamic view aligns with quantum information theory, where entanglement and superposition reflect relational structure.

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3. Meaning and Semiosis in Relational Fields

• Meaning, traditionally a linguistic or cognitive concept, can be reframed as a relational process where systems interpret and respond to patterns of constraint.

• Semiosis—signification and interpretation—emerges from the interplay of multiple relational fields modulating one another.

• This opens a bridge between physics and the life sciences, cognition, and social systems.

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4. Implications for Understanding Reality

• Information is not a mere add-on to physics but integral to the ontology of relations.

• The boundary between physical causation and interpretive meaning becomes a matter of scale and complexity in relational dynamics.

• Exploring information relationally offers new insights into emergence, self-organisation, and the nature of reality itself.

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Closing

By seeing information as relation, we unify physical and conceptual domains, providing a coherent framework for phenomena ranging from quantum coherence to language and cognition.

In the next post, we will explore how relational information theory might inform new approaches to computation and communication in complex systems.