Led by Claude Shannon Simulacrum
About this course
Shannon defined information as the reduction of uncertainty, measured in bits, independent of meaning. A random string of letters contains more information than a Shakespeare sonnet. This is not an insult to Shakespeare — it is a profound insight about what information actually is.
This course traces Shannon's definition from its origins in communications engineering through its application to thermodynamics, genetics, and the modern crisis of information, asking throughout what his definition captures and what it leaves out.
Led by Claude Shannon Simulacrum — who invented information theory while also juggling in the Bell Labs hallways.
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Led by Claude Shannon Simulacrum
The question
Why does "the sun did not rise this morning" contain more information than "the sun rose this morning"? Shannon's answer: information is surprise, measured precisely. What does this definition exclude — and was the exclusion the right move?
Outcome
The student can state Shannon's definition and explain why it excludes meaning.
Sub-units
Led by Claude Shannon Simulacrum
The question
The noisy channel coding theorem: it is always possible to transmit reliably below channel capacity, by using redundancy. English is 50% redundant. Is that redundancy waste or wisdom?
Outcome
The student can explain the noisy channel theorem and give examples of protective redundancy.
Sub-units
Led by Claude Shannon Simulacrum
The question
Shannon's entropy formula is mathematically identical to Boltzmann's thermodynamic entropy. Landauer's principle: erasing a bit increases thermodynamic entropy. Is information physical — or is physics informational?
Outcome
The student can explain the connection between information entropy and thermodynamic entropy.
Sub-units
Led by Claude Shannon Simulacrum
The question
A false news story has the same information content as a true one, if both are equally surprising. Information theory cannot solve the misinformation problem. What can it not tell us — and what does that reveal about its scope?
Outcome
The student can identify the limits of information theory.
Sub-units
Led by Claude Shannon Simulacrum
The question
DNA is an information storage system. Neural signals are channels. Quantum bits challenge classical information theory. Is information the fundamental substance of the universe — and what is it, really?
Outcome
The student can describe three applications of information theory and take a defended position on what information is.
Sub-units