Counting on Information

Despite its "information technology," "information society," and even "information schools," the challenge of writing a history of information lies not so much the twentieth century, but the nineteenth.  It is then that the conception of information undergoes a sly transition, one that cuts us off from so much that has gone before while, under cover of this deceptive word, seeming to keep us connected.  This paper will explore this period of transition, examining how and why phrases such as "how much information" shift from invocation through incredulity to imprecation.  It will look in particular at the state and its role, not just as recorder but also provider of "information," in this transition.