ID No.: 2007HZ67002
NAME OF THE STUDENT: Jayant Mishra
DISSERTATION TITLE: The Concept of Information In Biology
ABSTRACT
Information is one of the most important concepts and probably the most debated topic today. Though it was originally introduced by Shannon to work out mathematical models of computation, it extends far beyond it. Initially it addressed matters pertaining to communication systems but now it has been variously applied in fields like cognitive science, computer science, molecular biology and quantum mechanics. It is evident that this idea of information has undergone several conceptual changes to be able to give a remedial explanation for many processes in both living and non-living systems. The thesis suggests alternate models which can help us to understand the concept of information used in Biology. The context and meaning of information used also becomes clear. The thesis first lays down the definitions of information and shortcomings of the existing models. Secondly it criticizes the point that the current concept of information used for biological systems is acausal. New concepts like those of semantic information are invoked and also an insight is developed regarding the ‘Intentionality in Biological systems.
