Information Systems in Management Science---Concerning the Dangers of Little Knowledge

Andrew Vazsonyi

Interfaces, 1979, vol. 9, issue 3, 78-86

Abstract: Information system analysts often say that information reduces or even eliminates uncertainty. This is supposed to be a good thing because uncertainty disagrees with the nervous system of executives, who recognize only two possible probability values: 0 and 1. That information reduces uncertainty is “scientifically proven” by invoking the Wiener-Shannon theory of information and the concept of entropy.Now I find all this confusing or downright erroneous. Perfect information or complete knowledge---difficult, expensive, or well-nigh impossible to find---does eliminate uncertainty. But imperfect or little knowledge ---a more practical commodity---does much more curious or subtle things.One of the aims of information calculus advocated by this writer is to clarify and remove confusion in this field. So in this column I illustrate what imperfect information does, and show that the phrase “remove uncertainty” does not make good sense.

Date: 1979
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