The Problem of Information: An Introduction to Information Science

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Information can be conceptualized in two fundamentally yet contradictory ways_it appears in the world as both a physical and a cognitive phenomenon. The dilemma information specialists face is similar to that of physicists who must cope with light as both a wave and a particle. Unlike physics, however, information science has yet to develop a unified theory that unites the contradictory conceptions of its essential theoretical object. While there are numerous books today that address information science as a scholarly discipline, for the most part they assume a prior knowledge of the field. The Problem of Information provides an accessible introduction to the essential concepts and research issues of information science while exploring the indeterminate nature of information as a theoretical object. Signifying how information science contributes to the disciplines from which it borrows, this book provides insight into computer science, cognitive psychology, semiotics, sociology, and political science. Designed specifically for the beginner student new to the field of information science.