Skeptic's Objection to Information Theory #2:
"Information is not real"
http://www.cosmicfingerprints.com/informationisnotreal.htm
Summary:
Information is a real cause because it produces real effects
Information is not matter and it is not energy. It is a separate entity on par with matter and energy.
In the context of this discussion, information is a product of a complete encoding / decoding system. No communication takes place unless correct encoding and decoding also take place.
It is possible to determine the effectiveness of a communication system by judging whether it was encoded, transmitted and decoded properly. And this is the aim of Claude Shannon's communication model. Anything which claims to be an example of a communication system must be able to be judged according to Shannon's criteria.
A "full" hard drive is no heavier than an empty one, even though it is full of information. Information cannot be reduced (quantified) down to a single number, because it is not reducible to the medium that carries it. Nor can information be produced simply by knowing the physical laws it obeys - which is why there is no material explanation for information.
