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

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


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===== Abstract =====

Modern information systems are almost entirely based on dual, discrete information. This approach is highly efficient, but increasingly creates a gap between human decision-making and machine logic. Humans do not decide purely rationally. Decisions are influenced by emotions, hormones, bodily states, and incomplete information.

This whitepaper argues that a fundamental extension of the concept of information is required: **complex information**, consisting of a real (machine-processable) and an imaginary (human-relevant) component. Only by formally recognizing both components can information technology remain compatible with human agency, trust, and responsibility.


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===== 1. Background =====

From the perspective of machines, the universe is:

  * discrete
  * computable
  * deterministic or probabilistic

Humans, however, exist within this universe as **biological systems** whose decisions are shaped by:

first: hormonal regulation second: emotional states third: bodily signals (“gut decisions”) fourth: incomplete and contextual information

These processes are not fully formalizable, but they are real, effective, and evolutionarily meaningful.

At the same time, humans are still the ones who:

  * design machines
  * construct models of the universe
  * operate systems that “compute reality”

Any information system that ignores this human foundation undermines its own epistemic basis.


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===== 2. Limitations of classical information theory =====

Classical information theory defines information as:

  * syntactic
  * meaning-free
  * fully discrete

This definition is technically correct, but **anthropologically incomplete**.

It provides no formal place for:

  * meaning
  * context
  * emotion
  * undecidability

As a result, human behavior is often interpreted as:

  * noise
  * error
  * deviation

The problem lies not with humans, but with an **overly narrow concept of information**.


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===== 3. Complex information – definition =====

We propose modeling information fundamentally as a **complex quantity**:

**I = a + ib**

where:

  * **a (real part)** machine-processable, logical, computable, verifiable
  * **b (imaginary part)** human decision space: meaning, context, emotion, intuition, non-knowledge

A key property:

The imaginary part does **not** have to be used. It may be zero. But it **must exist**.

As in mathematics: even when the imaginary component is zero, the structure remains complex.


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===== 4. Function of the imaginary part =====

The imaginary component fulfills several critical functions:

first: it marks the **limits of computability** second: it enables decisions under uncertainty third: it protects against the totalization of logic

It allows human decisions that are not fully rationalizable without labeling them as irrational or invalid.

Hormones, emotions, and bodily signals are not mystified, but given a **formal place within the system**.


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===== 5. Implications for machine systems =====

For machine systems, complex information implies:

  * explicit acknowledgment of incomplete models
  * formal representation of uncertainty
  * separation of computation and meaning

A system operating with complex information “knows” that:

> “Not every decision can be fully computed.”

This does not increase machine autonomy, but introduces **epistemic humility**.


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===== 6. Implications for humans =====

For humans, complex information creates a protected decision space:

first: decisions do not require full rational justification second: emotional and bodily processes remain legitimate third: responsibility stays with humans, not with systems

The imaginary part functions as a **formal safeguard** against algorithmic overreach.


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===== 7. Societal relevance =====

Without an imaginary component, information systems tend toward:

  * technocratic decision regimes
  * psychological pressure toward total optimization
  * alienation from one’s own decisions

With complex information, logic remains intact, but becomes **tolerant of human presence**.


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===== 8. Conclusion =====

Humans are not anomalies in a computable universe. They are the agents who compute it.

If humans are excluded from logic, the foundation of the systems themselves is lost.

**Complex information is not optional. It is necessary.**


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===== 9. Outlook =====

Possible next steps include:

  * IT design principles based on complex information
  * interfaces that explicitly allow an imaginary component
  * ethical and regulatory models beyond pure optimization


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===== 10. 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.