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Yuval Noah Harari, renowned for his acclaimed work “Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind,” presents his latest book, “Nexus: A Brief History of Information Networks from the Stone Age to AI” (Random House). This new publication delves into the intricate ways intelligence has influenced and guided civilizations throughout history, while highlighting the transformative impact of artificial intelligence on societal structures, economics, and governance.
Below is an excerpt from the book.
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Understanding Information
Defining fundamental concepts is often a complex task. These concepts serve as the bedrock for all subsequent ideas, yet they often lack a clear-cut foundation. This challenge is common across various fields; for instance, physicists grapple with articulating matter and energy, while biologists find it difficult to characterize life itself. In recent discussions, many in the philosophical and scientific communities posit that information might represent the very core of reality, superseding even matter and energy. This premise has sparked numerous debates regarding the definition of information and its connection to life’s evolution, as well as its relevance to fundamental physical principles like entropy and thermodynamics. This book will not strive to untangle these debates or provide a one-size-fits-all definition of information across disciplines, but rather focus on its historical significance and role in societies.
In common parlance, “information” is typically linked to symbols created by humans, such as spoken or written language. A poignant illustration of this can be found in the tale of Cher Ami, a carrier pigeon that played a crucial role during World War I. In October 1918, a battalion of American soldiers was cut off behind enemy lines after misidentified artillery fire targeted them. Their commander, Major Charles Whittlesey, faced a dire situation; he needed to convey their location to the headquarters but was unable to send a runner through enemy territory. In a last-ditch effort, he turned to Cher Ami, writing a urgent message on a scrap of paper and attaching it to the pigeon. Cher Ami’s fateful flight through heavy fire, even after suffering severe injuries, ultimately delivered the critical information that led to the rescue operation for the stranded soldiers. This remarkable occurrence exemplifies how information, even when conveyed through a seemingly simple messenger, can have life-altering consequences.
However, information is not confined to human-made symbols. In the biblical narrative of Noah’s Ark, the return of a dove bearing an olive branch served as a sign that floodwaters had receded—a form of information that transcends language. Similarly, astronomical phenomena, such as the positioning of stars and galaxies, provide vital information about the universe’s history, empirically significant to both navigators and astronomers alike. These celestial objects signal a reality far beyond human interpretation, indicating that what constitutes information often hinges on perspective.
The context in which something is perceived often determines whether it is viewed as “information.” For instance, an astronomer may interpret the constellation Libra as meaningful data, while for an alien civilization, the stars may hold no significance regarding human narratives. A seemingly mundane object, like a piece of paper, could serve as essential information for a military unit but be mere sustenance for a termite colony. This contextual dependency complicates the task of defining information uniformly.
Throughout history, the ambiguous nature of information has significantly influenced military intelligence. During World War I, for example, in addition to battles fought in northern France, conflicts raged in the Middle East between the British and Ottoman Empires. Pro-British Jews formed a spy network known as NILI, conveying vital military intelligence via coded signals, such as the manipulation of window shutters by Sarah Aaronsohn, who signaled to British vessels from her home. Although visible to many, only those involved in the network understood these actions as crucial intelligence relevant to military operations, illustrating how context dictates meaning.
Ultimately, the NILI network was compromised when a carrier pigeon fell into the hands of an Ottoman officer, leading to the unraveling of the spy ring. Despite the cryptic message being unintelligible, the mere possession of the pigeon signified a threat to the Ottomans, emphasizing that even the existence of an object can convey critical information. The NILI agents’ subsequent destruction of their remaining pigeons underscores the precarious nature of information and its potential consequences.
Such examples reinforce the notion that defining information cannot rely solely on the type of material involved. Instead, the context plays an integral role in ascribing meaning to any object, whether it be a star, a window shutter, or a pigeon. A simplistic view posits that objects gain their status as information through truth-seeking processes; something is labeled “information” when it aids in uncovering reality. For instance, intelligence gathered by NILI was intended to represent actual troop movements, a fundamental aspect of military strategy. Yet, this perspective underestimates the broader implications of information; many forms of information do not aim to represent reality at all.
This book acknowledges the often flawed simplistic view while establishing that most information is not tied to accurately representing reality. Rather, it proposes that a significant portion of information in human and biological systems exists for purposes other than truth representation, a theme that permeates the discussions throughout.
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Excerpted from “Nexus” by Yuval Noah Harari. Copyright © 2024 by Yuval Noah Harari. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
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