===== Complex Information =====

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==== Why modern information technology must leave decision space to humans ====


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==== Current situation ====

Societies are currently experiencing a profound loss of trust:

  * loss of shared truths
  * increasing spread of misinformation and fake news
  * growing uncertainty about whom and what to trust

A common response is:

→ more control, more verification, more automation

However, this reaction creates a new problem.


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==== Core problem ====

Classical IT systems recognize only one form of truth:

  * logically consistent
  * formally verifiable
  * machine-processable

This form of truth is necessary, but **not sufficient** to stabilize human communication, meaning, and trust.

When decisions or statements that are not fully computable are treated as false or irrational, the result is:

  * epistemic pressure
  * distrust toward institutions
  * emotional rejection of “official” truths

This dynamic fosters fake news rather than preventing it.


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==== Extended concept of truth through complex information ====

**Complex information distinguishes between two levels of truth:**

  * **real truth** verifiable, measurable, logically consistent
  * **imaginary truth** meaning, context, subjective certainty, lived experience

These two levels are **not equivalent**, but they are **both necessary**.

Fake news emerges where these levels are blurred or deliberately concealed.


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==== What fake news actually are ====

Fake news are not primarily false facts. They are emotionally charged statements in which:

  * the real component is suppressed, distorted, or absent
  * subjective meaning is presented as objective fact

The core problem is **opacity**, not emotion.


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==== The solution: transparency instead of suppression ====

With complex information, every statement becomes structurally readable:

  * real component present / absent / incomplete
  * imaginary component dominant / secondary / explicit

This means:

  * emotions are allowed
  * intuition and gut decisions remain legitimate
  * but they can no longer masquerade as facts

Truth is not weakened. It becomes **more precise**.


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==== Benefits for systems and society ====

**For institutions**

  * clearer separation of facts, interpretation, and meaning
  * increased credibility
  * reduced polarization

**For citizens**

  * orientation without paternalism
  * security without forced rationalization
  * lower susceptibility to misinformation


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==== Strategic relevance ====

Systems that rely exclusively on dual information risk:

  * loss of trust
  * ethical conflicts
  * societal backlash

Complex information enables:

  * human-compatible automation
  * robust decision architectures
  * long-term system stability


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==== Recommendation ====

**Short term**

  * extend information models with an explicit imaginary component
  * label decisions that are not fully computable

**Mid term**

  * develop system architectures that formally allow uncertainty
  * keep human decision authority visible

**Long term**

  * establish standards for human-compatible information technology


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==== Conclusion ====

Fake news do not exist because humans are emotional. They exist because systems provide no formal space for emotion and meaning.

**Complex information protects truth by keeping humans inside it.**


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==== Your Support ====

{{:projects:infolab:new_human_info:new-human-it.png?400|}}

These stickers are a visible sign of support for broadening the concept of information and can be affixed to IT equipment.