BCSSS

International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics

2nd Edition, as published by Charles François 2004 Presented by the Bertalanffy Center for the Study of Systems Science Vienna for public access.

About

The International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics was first edited and published by the system scientist Charles François in 1997. The online version that is provided here was based on the 2nd edition in 2004. It was uploaded and gifted to the center by ASC president Michael Lissack in 2019; the BCSSS purchased the rights for the re-publication of this volume in 200?. In 2018, the original editor expressed his wish to pass on the stewardship over the maintenance and further development of the encyclopedia to the Bertalanffy Center. In the future, the BCSSS seeks to further develop the encyclopedia by open collaboration within the systems sciences. Until the center has found and been able to implement an adequate technical solution for this, the static website is made accessible for the benefit of public scholarship and education.

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W Y Z

COMMUNICATION THEORY 1)3)5)

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The theory of the information transmission under its various aspects.

The theory of communication has been established by C. SHANNON and W. WEAVER (1949). It is frequently referred to as "theory of information", which it is only marginally. In effect, what travels from a sender to a receiver is a signal, which may, or not, convey an understandable meaning, when conveniently, or not, coded in a meaning bearing code.

The theory states in a general way the conditions for the reliable and correct transmission of data (or information if these data are included in an interconnected global system). It includes the study of physical codes, channels, transmitters and also noises, that can distort or destroy what is transmitted, and of the conditions needed to make up for these negative effects, i.e. the use of redundancy. It also establishes ways to organize and quantificate information for its transmission.

The fact that information is organized explains why entropy is proportional to the lack of information, as demonstrated by SHANNON. However, the use of the term "negative entropy" frequently associated with information has been seriously questioned.

Communication theory can, in principle, be applied to any mode of transmission of information, be it nervous, visual, by sound, electronic or, in a different sense, linguistic.

The basic elements of a communication system are: the transmitter (i.e. the encoder and broadcaster), the code itself with its basic units (for example bits or bytes), the energy impulses used, the transmission lines or media (channels), the receiver (i.e. the decoder).

In any case, as observed by H.von FOERSTER, Communication theory in its strict sense, is not much else than a simple general theory of communication technology.

Categories

  • 1) General information
  • 2) Methodology or model
  • 3) Epistemology, ontology and semantics
  • 4) Human sciences
  • 5) Discipline oriented

Publisher

Bertalanffy Center for the Study of Systems Science(2020).

To cite this page, please use the following information:

Bertalanffy Center for the Study of Systems Science (2020). Title of the entry. In Charles François (Ed.), International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics (2). Retrieved from www.systemspedia.org/[full/url]

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