From the Philosophy of Information to the Philosophy of Information Culture

Abstract

The contemporary world is experiencing an ongoing cultural change, made both distinctive and far-reaching by the centrality of information and information technologies. In light of this development, we propose a research path in the philosophy of information that could be called the philosophy of information culture(s). After a brief survey of the idea of culture, we reflect on the interrelationships between information and culture. We focus on the notion of “information as culture,” or distinctive values, artifacts, and practices that are constituted by and oriented around information. We suggest that friendship provides a particularly appropriate locus for philosophical investigation of information cultures.

Keywords:

• culture
• friendship
• information
• information technology
• philosophy