Information metaphors

In: Wiadomości statystyczne / Glówny Urza̜d Statystyczny, Polskie Towarzystwo Statystyczne: czasopismo Głównego Urze̜du Statystycznego i Polskiego Towarzystwa = ˜Theœ Polish statistician, Volume 64, Issue 7, p. 48-55

Abstract

The term information has been known for centuries with many different definitions and interpretations in use. But there is still lack of commonly accepted one and the question what actually stands for the term information is open. This is why some new concepts appear. Among them, the approach based on the analysis of its properties and functions enables better understanding of the phenomenon of information. In the literature one can find a suggestion that the concept of metaphor can be useful in this ap-proach. The main aim of the paper is to give some examples of such metaphors called information metaphors, showing simultaneously their role in explaining some features of information by comparison to other concepts used in daily lives.