{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,20]],"date-time":"2026-04-20T23:11:07Z","timestamp":1776726667540,"version":"3.51.2"},"reference-count":51,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"2","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2013,5,30]],"date-time":"2013-05-30T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1369872000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/3.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Information"],"abstract":"<jats:p>In this second part of our inquiry into the emergence and evolution of meaning, the category of meaning is explored from the manifestation of reality in its corresponding level of interaction towards the interpretation of such reality (the first part deals correspondingly with an appropriate top-down approach). Based on the physical constraints of manifestation through electromagnetic waves, which constitutes the base of animal vision, we analyze the limits of the meaning-offer of such a manifestation, which allows us, on the one hand, to compare the efficiency of natural evolution in the reception of such meaning-offers; on the other hand, to analyze the conditions of developing agency able to acknowledge the reality underlying its manifestation. Regarding the complexity of such an agency and its related pragmatic response, we distinguish different levels, which allow the development of the General Definition of Information (GDI) properly, with respect to interpretation, as advanced in the first part, throughout nature. As we show at the end, our approach provides new grounds for the Unified Theory of Information (UTI) Program, as well as the possibility for bridging other approaches in the converging fields of information, meaning, computation, and communication.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/info4020240","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2013,5,31]],"date-time":"2013-05-31T03:25:30Z","timestamp":1369970730000},"page":"240-261","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":6,"title":["Emergence and Evolution of Meaning: The General Definition of Information (GDI) Revisiting Program\u2014Part 2: The Regressive Perspective: Bottom-up"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"4","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-5383-6037","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Jos\u00e9","family":"D\u00edaz Nafr\u00eda","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Engineering, University of Le\u00f3n, Campus de Vegazana, Le\u00f3n 24071, Spain"}]},{"given":"Rainer","family":"Zimmermann","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of General Studies, Munich University of Applied Sciences, Dachauerstr. 100a,  Munich 80336, Germany"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2013,5,30]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","unstructured":"Adler, M. 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