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sputnik
(Not sure this belongs in philosophy, but the only other option seemed to be pseudo-science, and I don't like the sound of that. Before I start, I've got to admit, I�m not especially well-versed in any of the concepts this post concerns... I have only a passing familiarity with Chaos Theory, Information Theory, and so on, so please don�t judge me too harshly for getting things wrong...)I know a lot has already been written attempting to draw connections between Chaos Theory, Information Theory, and the �Post-Modern condition,� but does anyone know if it�s ever been proposed that the increasing �cultural complexity� (take that term how you will) so characteristic of Post-Modern society could be a direct result of historically recent developments in information technology? One implication of Chaos Theory (if I�m getting this right) is that as the energy within a non-linear system increases, the system goes through any number of distinct period-doublings on its way toward chaos. Does it seem completely unreasonable to extend these ideas to the processes that shape the development of human culture? Or let me try to explain what I mean in the plainest language I can muster: Our individual actions and beliefs are at least partly shaped by the actions and beliefs of others (as transmitted through the medium of culture), but at the same time, our own actions and beliefs (as transmitted through the medium of culture) help to shape the actions and beliefs of others. This process creates a kind of feedback loop. We�re all to some degree like cultural transmitters and receivers, with our own output signals eventually contributing back to the input feed. Now we all know what happens when you turn up a radio that�s receiving its own signal: Feedback noise. Haven�t developments like the printing press, radio, television and the internet effectively boosted all the signals? Is it possible that a lot of the intellectual neuroticism that characterizes Post-Modern thought is a result of some kind of information systems feedback noise, as the increased efficiency of information technology heats these systems up?I�m not trying to draw any conclusions myself. I�m just curious to know if any of you have come across any worthwhile discussions along these lines. Thanks!"how do we know but that every bird that cuts the airy way is an infinite world of delight closed by our senses five?" --W. Blake