Logic of Information: A Theory of Philosophy as Conceptual Design

Luciano Floridi presents an innovative approach to philosophy, conceived as conceptual design, which explores how we make, transform, refine, and improve the objects of our knowledge. He argues that reality provides the data, to be understood as constraining affordances, and we transform them into information, like semantic engines. Models are not representations but interpretations understood as data elaborations of systems.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 272 pages
Publication date: 02 September 2021
Publisher: Oxford University Press

Luciano Floridi presents a groundbreaking approach to philosophy, envisioning it as a form of conceptual design. He delves into the intricate processes of creating, transforming, refining, and enhancing the objects of our knowledge. Floridi's starting point is that reality serves as the source of data, to be understood as constraining affordances, which we then transform into information, akin to semantic engines. It's important to note that this transformation or repurposing differs from portraying, picturing, photographing, photocopying, or replicating anything. Instead, it resembles cooking, where the dish does not represent the ingredients but utilizes them to create something entirely new. The reality of the dish and its properties are profoundly dependent on the reality and properties of the ingredients. Models, in Floridi's perspective, are not representations understood as pictures but interpretations understood as data elaborations of systems. Consequently, he articulates and defends the thesis that knowledge is design, and philosophy is the ultimate manifestation of conceptual design.

While The Logic of Information stands independently of Floridi's previous books, "The Philosophy of Information" (OUP 2011) and "The Ethics of Information" (OUP 2013), it both complements the existing volumes and offers fresh insights into the foundations of the philosophy of information.

In conclusion, Luciano Floridi's innovative approach to philosophy, as conceptual design, challenges traditional notions of representation and interpretation. By emphasizing the role of reality as the source of data and the transformation of information into knowledge, he offers a fresh perspective on the nature of understanding and the foundations of knowledge. Through his work, Floridi invites us to reimagine the relationship between philosophy, information, and design, paving the way for a more comprehensive and interdisciplinary understanding of the world.

Weight: 408g
Dimension: 156 x 235 x 20 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780192847584