{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,12]],"date-time":"2025-10-12T04:28:33Z","timestamp":1760243313883,"version":"build-2065373602"},"reference-count":76,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"3","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2014,9,11]],"date-time":"2014-09-11T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1410393600000},"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>This paper aims to introduce a developed reading of Roederer\u2019s interpretation  of pragmatic information as a good candidate for a Unifying Information Concept required for an as-yet-unavailable Science of Information. According to pragmatic information, information and information processing are exclusive attributes of biological systems related to the very definition of life. I will apply the notion to give new accounts in the following areas: (1) quantum interpretation: based on a modified version of David Bohm\u2019s interpretation of quantum mechanics, I propose an ontological, information-based interpretation of quantum mechanics which, unlike Roederer\u2019s interpretation, satisfies all conditions of pragmatic information; (2) artificial intelligence: the notion successfully distinguishes natural living systems from artifacts and natural non-living systems, providing a context to pose an information-based argument against the thesis of Strong Artificial Intelligence; (3) phenomenal consciousness: I will use pragmatic information to modify and update Chalmers\u2019s  Double-aspect Theory of Information to be explanatorily more powerful regarding the physical aspect of his theory; (4) causation: based on pragmatic information, I pose a new account of causation which differentiates causation in biology from causation in natural abiotic world.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/info5030451","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2014,9,11]],"date-time":"2014-09-11T12:04:41Z","timestamp":1410437081000},"page":"451-478","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["Pragmatic Information as a Unifying Biological Concept"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"5","author":[{"given":"Reza","family":"Maleeh","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"School of History, Philosophy, Religion and Classics, The University of Queensland, St Lucia,  QLD 4072, Australia"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2014,9,11]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","unstructured":"Beniger, J.R. 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