This idea suggests that information gains its significance by reducing uncertainty or disorder, simplifying complexity, or even, in some interpretations, diminishing meaning. One of the most prominent connections is between information and the reduction of entropy. Entropy, in a general sense, can be understood as a measure of disorder or randomness. More quantitatively, entropy can be seen as the number of rearrangements of a system's microscopic constituents that leave its overall macroscopic features unchanged. Brian Greene states that information may be thought of as a reduction in entropy, distinguishing an orderly, structured system from a vast set of random, useless ones. He illustrates this with examples like random characters versus the Declaration of Independence, where the signal transmitting information imposes order, thus reducing randomness. Claude Shannon's theory of information explicitly links the quantification of information to the mathematics of probability and entropy. Shannon’s equation for entropy (H) is given as the negative sum of the probabilities of a particular event occurring, times the logarithm to base 2 of that probability. This equation is also recognized as that of entropy as defined in statistical mechanics. The amount of information contained in a message corresponds to the reduction in our uncertainty about a particular event. If an event is certain to occur, it contains zero information because there is no uncertainty to reduce. Thus, information, in this framework, is fundamentally tied to the resolution of uncertainty and the reduction of the number of possible outcomes. Furthermore, Shannon's work shows that efficient encoding of information, such as in Morse code, arises from the realization that not every element in a message occurs with equal probability. By encoding more frequent elements with shorter strings, redundancy is reduced, and information transfer becomes more efficient. Von Foerster even proposes Shannon’s equation for redundancy as a measure of self-organization, where an increase in redundancy (a reduction in entropy relative to the maximum possible entropy) indicates self-organization. This reinforces the idea that information is associated with structure and order, a reduction from a state of maximum randomness. The concept of "less is more" aligns with the idea of information as a reduction of overwhelming detail. When faced with a complex situation, like encountering a lion, focusing on the essential information (Is it approaching? Is it stalking?) is far more valuable than being inundated with every detail (the motion of every photon reflecting off its body). In this sense, information is a distillation of relevant details, a reduction of the superfluous. Critical thinking also involves the process of reduction. The "Sort, Select, Amplify, Generate" model suggests that critical thinkers need to organize their thoughts (sorting), weed out irrelevant aspects (selecting/reducing), expand on key issues (amplifying), and generate something new. Filtering out irrelevant material is crucial for effective communication and knowledge creation. This involves reducing the amount of "verbiage" to focus on the essentials, enhancing understanding. However, some sources highlight a potential downside or complexity in the concept of "information as reduction," particularly concerning meaning. Beaudrillard suggests that we live in a world with more and more information, and less and less meaning. He proposes that information can devour its own content and dissolve meaning through the very act of staging communication without genuine exchange. In this view, the reduction of complexity into information can come at the cost of the rich, metaphorical textures of language and authentic dialogue. The spectacle, according to Debord, turns language into a "cascade of hierarchic signals," reducing its poetry to the "vulgar prose of its information". Similarly, Khayati argues that modernity encourages cultural-linguistic homogenization, reducing living speech to codified information. Benjamin also contrasts "information" with more traditional forms of communication like storytelling. He argues that information deals with anonymous events, external to the individual's concerns, and is often "already shot through with explanations," privileging readily verifiable facts over deeper experience and meaning. The focus on conveying what is "nearest" in information can lead to a depletion of the capacity for experience and a loss of semantic resources. Furthermore, the idea of reductionism as a philosophical stance is discussed in several sources. Reductionists believe that the whole can be reduced to a collection of its parts, with physics being the fundamental subject. Antireductionists, on the other hand, argue that "more is different" and that higher levels of complexity cannot be simply reduced to lower levels. In the context of information, this debate touches upon whether complex phenomena like consciousness or biological life can be fully understood by reducing them to information processing at a fundamental level. While information processing is seen as a crucial aspect of the brain, some theories like integrated information theory acknowledge the importance of the integration and differentiation of information in generating conscious awareness, without necessarily explaining the subjective feel of it through reduction to basic particles. In phenomenology, "reduction" (epoché and phenomenological reduction) refers to a methodological bracketing of the natural attitude and a redirecting of attention to how phenomena appear to consciousness. While not directly equating information with this type of reduction, phenomenology emphasizes the process of focusing on essential aspects of experience by suspending preconceived notions, which shares a conceptual link with the idea of information distilling relevance from a larger field. In semiotics, Barthes discusses details that do not contribute to plot or symbolic meaning, arguing that by their very absence of meaning, they signify "we are the real". This suggests that a reduction of overt meaning can paradoxically convey information about reality. Bataille also explores "extreme simplifications" in semiotic units, which can serve as a form of aggressive manipulation or a strategy of disappropriation and misappropriation of concepts. In summary, "information as reduction" is a multifaceted concept. In the realm of information theory and thermodynamics, it is strongly linked to the reduction of entropy and uncertainty, representing order and structure. In critical thinking and everyday perception, information involves filtering and reducing complexity to what is relevant. However, this process of reduction can also be seen as potentially leading to a loss of meaning, richness of language, and a simplified understanding of complex phenomena, as highlighted by perspectives from media theory, philosophy of language, and antireductionist arguments. Understanding information as reduction thus requires considering both its power in organizing and simplifying, and its potential limitations in capturing the full complexity and meaning of the world.