Although formal mathematical theories about information only emerged in the 20th century, and one has to be careful not to interpret the Greek notion of a number in any modern sense, the idea that information was essentially a mathematical notion, dates back to classical philosophy: the form of an entity was conceived as a structure or pattern that could be described in terms of numbers.
This notion goes back to Gibbs (1902), and has since been widely used (and we should emphasise that the Gibbsian notion of a macrostate is different from the Boltzmannian, introduced in section 5.1).
This intriguing notion hearkens back to phrenology, but with a humorous twist.
"The county government is responsible to protect the health and safety of the citizens," he said, adding that the notion dates back to early humanity.
This is an ancient notion, dating back to imperial times, when an emperor's reign was believed to be legitimised by a so-called "mandate of heaven," (tianming), that conferred the right on a sovereign to rule.
It was small-minded chatter then, but the notion dating back to last season that the Mets' Latino players are indifferent to the team's collective failures smacks of ugly stereotyping.
In 1984, Michel Foucault wrote in "The History of Sexuality, Vol. 3"_ that the notion dates back to the Greeks, noting that in the Alcibiades dialogues, Socrates advises a young man not to attempt political leadership until he has attended to himself.
This notion dates back to Sydenham in the late seventeenth century.
This notion goes back to 1991, when James Baker, then the U.S. Secretary of State, voiced it in a Belgrade speech.
