Powerful ideas from top nonfiction
Try Blinkist to get the key ideas from 5,500+ bestselling nonfiction titles and podcasts. Listen or read in just 15 minutes.
Start your free trial
Blink 3 of 8 - The 5 AM Club
by Robin Sharma
Why Information Grows summary
César Hidalgo
The Evolution of Order, from Atoms to Economies
Listen to the first key idea
Key idea 1 of 7
4.1 (16 ratings)
17 mins
7 key ideas
Audio & text
What is Why Information Grows about?
Why Information Grows (2015) takes you straight to the heart of the battle between entropy and order, examining the way that information is propagated and its impact on life, civilization and the universe. In doing so, the book offers a thought-provoking explanation for the success of human beings on earth.
About the Author
César A. Hidalgo leads the Macro Connections group at the MIT Media Lab and is an associate professor of media arts and sciences at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He is the author of many lauded academic publications and the co-author of The Atlas of Economic Complexity (2014).
Table of Contents
Key idea 1 of 7
Information is physical order, and is completely meaningless; our knowledge gives it meaning.
What comes to mind when you think of the date, September 11? Whether it’s your birthday, the day a terrorist attack occurred in New York City or of an upcoming exam, your mind automatically attaches meaning to the date.
But is there anything about this date that is inherently tied to any of those events? No, of course not. In reality, “September 11” itself is no more than meaningless information.
But what do we mean when we talk about “information?”
Information is physical order. While we often think of information as something immaterial, like data, in reality information is physical. Sure, virtual information does exist but it’s always wrapped in a physical body, like a brain or a hard drive.
So at its core, information is simply the physical arrangement of atoms.
DNA, for example, is pure information. It is a physical arrangement of atoms used to build new physical orders, like a human body.
Information, and thus the physical arrangement of atoms, exists everywhere. It’s not limited to the DNA in our bodies but it’s also found in products – in everything from toys to smartphones – which are essentially configured arrangements of atoms.
It’s important not to confuse information with meaning. No matter what kind of information you’re dealing with, whether a strand of DNA or your bedside lamp, the information itself is utterly meaningless. But that doesn’t stop us from trying to make sense of it.
As a matter of course, we attach meaning, derived from context and prior knowledge, to meaningless information.
To help conceptualize this, think about the letters that appear on your computer screen when you strike a key on your keyboard. The letters themselves are simply a configuration of light on your screen – they have no meaning in and of themselves.
However, your understanding of the alphabet gives these letters meaning, thus turning raw information into words and sentences.
Want to see all full key ideas from Why Information Grows?
Key ideas in Why Information Grows
More knowledge in less time
Read or listen
Get the key ideas from nonfiction bestsellers in minutes, not hours.
Find your next read
Get book lists curated by experts and personalized recommendations.
Shortcasts New
We’ve teamed up with podcast creators to bring you key insights from podcasts.
Who should read Why Information Grows
- Anybody interested in economics
- Anybody wanting to know the truth about order and chaos
- Anybody interested in what makes our planet special
Categories with Why Information Grows
Books like Why Information Grows
What our members say
Sven O.
It's highly addictive to get core insights on personally relevant topics without repetition or triviality. Added to that the apps ability to suggest kindred interests opens up a foundation of knowledge.
Thi Viet Quynh N.
Great app. Good selection of book summaries you can read or listen to while commuting. Instead of scrolling through your social media news feed, this is a much better way to spend your spare time in my opinion.
Jonathan A.
Life changing. The concept of being able to grasp a book's main point in such a short time truly opens multiple opportunities to grow every area of your life at a faster rate.
Renee D.
Great app. Addicting. Perfect for wait times, morning coffee, evening before bed. Extremely well written, thorough, easy to use.
Start growing with Blinkist now
25 Million
Downloads on all platforms
4.7 Stars
Average ratings on iOS and Google Play
91%
Of Blinkist members create a better reading habit*
*Based on survey data from Blinkist customers