Information and Meaning

The monkeys would type every possible book without knowing which strings of characters mean anything. This is the distinction between information and meaning. Information is a pattern; meaning is a pattern recognized by an interpreter.

Hamlet typed by a monkey is physically identical to Hamlet typed by Shakespeare. The characters match exactly. The difference lies entirely in the process — one involved intention and creative selection, the other none. The product is the same, but the act of creation is not.