Informational Ontology: The Meaning of Gilbert Simondon's Concept of Individuation

Abstract

Abstract The French philosopher Gilbert Simondon (1924-1989) was the first true philosopher of information, yet heremains relatively unknown outside of his native France. This situation is curious, given the warm receptionhis work has received from a small group of internationally renowned thinkers. Simondon’s lifelong projectwas to expound the appearance of what I call an “informational ontology,” a subject that deserves to beaddresses at length. This article limits itself by focusing on three aspects of Simondon’s philosophy ofinformation. First, it situates Simondon within the French intellectual scene in post-World War II Europe toget sense of his cultural milieu. Second, it positions Simondon’s work in the context of the Americancybernetic tradition from which it emerged. Finally, it offers an exegesis of Simondon’s informationalontology, a radically new materialism that stands to change contemporary debates surrounding issues relatedto information, communication, and technology.