文章探讨了如何运用信息论的框架，通过五个关键问题来审视和优化我们的思维与行为模式。核心在于将人类视为信息处理机器，强调在有限的资源下最大化有用信息的产出与利用。通过“内外”、“元素与个体”、“个体与信息”、“信息与社会”四个维度，文章提供了一种结构化的方法，帮助我们更清晰地理解活动，从而提升效率。

🧠 **信息效率至关重要**：文章的核心概念是将人视为信息机器，我们的大脑负责组织、转化和分享信息。根据最大熵原理，我们倾向于在自身限制（时间、精力、注意力）下最大化信息的利用。

🎯 **首要问题：内外之分**：第一个关键问题是区分“内部”与“外部”。即，我们是在改变自身（学习、自我关怀），还是在改变周围环境（建造、教学）。例如，吃饭是服务于内部，而种树是改变外部环境。

⚛️ **第二层级：元素与个体**：在个体层面，区分活动是基于基本、共享的元素（如呼吸、基因），还是基于个人经验和记忆。例如，锻炼遵循生物学规律，而创作艺术则表达个人独特想法。

💡 **第三层级：个体与信息**：在个人关注点内部，区分我们是在连接自己的记忆和想法，还是在运用已知信息与世界互动。例如，复习笔记是个体行为，而用笔记解决问题则是信息行为。

🤝 **第四层级：信息与社会**：在分享或使用信息时，区分我们是在为自己产生想法，还是在与他人协作和交流。例如，写日记是信息行为，而与团队讨论项目是社会行为。

Published on April 17, 2025 11:04 AM GMT

What is this about?
We often experience complex things (like learning) that can’t be understood just by looking at their pieces. This framework uses ideas from information theory (how systems handle uncertainty) to give us five simple questions for examining our own thinking and behavior.

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1. The Mega Vector: Information Efficiency

The “Mega Vector”: Humans as information machines. We organize, transform, and share information—both inside our minds and with the world around us. 



MaxEnt principle: We aim to maximize useful information under our own limits (time, energy, attention).Goal: Ask simple questions to focus on what really matters and improve our ability to generate and use information.

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2. The initial Key Question

These helps break down any activity by asking where your main focus lies:

Decompose the “Mega Vector”

Internal vs. External?
Are you changing yourself (learning, self-care) or changing your surroundings (building, teaching)?

Example: Eating fuels your body (internal), while planting a tree changes the environment (external).

 

 

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2. The 3 Levels Questions

These help break down any activity by asking where your area focus lies:

Elemental vs. Individual?
Are you working with basic, shared processes (breathing, genetics) or with your own personal experiences and memories?

Example: Exercising follows common biological rules (elemental), creating art expresses your unique ideas (individual).



Individual vs. Informational?
Within personal focus, are you connecting your own memories and ideas, or applying what you know to interact with the world?

Example: Reviewing your notes (individual) vs. using them to solve a problem (informational).





Informational vs. Social?
When sharing or using information, are you generating ideas for yourself or collaborating and communicating with others?Example: Writing in a journal (informational) vs. discussing a project with a team (social). 

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HUMAN FUNCTIONS AND SKILLS

We start from the universal objective of combining useful information. We decompose this “mega-vector” into input/output and four areas:

Elemental (genes ↔ environment)Individual (personal memory ↔ genes)Informational (memory ↔ memory)Social (informational ↔ collaboration)

Each area generates two SubVectors: input focus (In) and output focus (Out), totaling eight vectors.

 

Names are given to these sub-objectives along with a corresponding score to be applied in one’s life. It is important to note that these metrics are self-assessments and inherently subjective. The numbers are used as relative references (for example, “Compared to my last month, or comparing specific moments: am I more focused on X?”). The labels serve as metaphors rather than strict scientific definitions. For instance, at the elemental level, one might aim to be more receptive or more active – focusing on eating well or exercising might be reflective of such contrasts. As below: 

 

 

To confirm the meaning of the levels, we can also see some relationships with evolutionary psychology, as follows: 

 

And we can name related skills needed for these goals, and illustrate with some totems, insects for indoor skills, animals for outdoor skills, cool colors for indoor skills, warm colors for outdoor skills: As figure bellow:

Another way to look at the process as sets, to analyze personal priorities as in the example below:

 

 

And a final summary table:

 

RESULTS

With these parameters, one can formulate questions for special moments in life to help organize events, routines, and tasks. This approach comes closer to the atomic model where, even though we might not precisely pinpoint an electron’s layer, through specific questions we can predict which area our focus lies in. As the diagram below shows:

Thus, having a slightly more accurate assessment of objectives, routines and tasks. In addition to making a more accurate diary template like the one proposed here.

 

CONCLUSIONS

We have thus defined probabilistic skills. The apparent dichotomy serves as an analytical tool rather than an absolute division. In practice, these categories merge—indeed, by affirming that “by changing oneself one changes the environment.”

A linear detailed construction in:

8-probabilistic-skills-a-construction-from-maxent

A specific more application in:

gamify-life-from-bayesianmind

Your feedback is welcome!
If you have suggestions, critiques, or experiences to share, feel free to comment publicly or send me a private message. Every perspective helps refine the tool and make it more useful.

REFERENCES

Framework inspired by Jaynes’ Maximum Entropy and later work on information in biology and cognition. Use it as a practical tool, not a strict rulebook.*

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