I think we're in agreement on information. Sometimes it's hard to discuss somethig as abstract as information because people define it differently. But your definition and Bateson's, to my mind, seem easily reconcilable. It is stunningly elegant, isn't it? Yet practical. We can analyze any of our actions based on what's changed, what info it conveys, and how might that affect change on the audience.

Of course we do that all the time on some level, but relating it back to concepts like energy make the picture so much clearer, at least for me.of course, that was the purpose of the essay. Everyone "knows" generosity is good, but I wasn't clear on why until thinking about it in these terms. And understanding why allows us to target generosity in ways that make it most effective, instead of lumping all generous acts together, or overvaluaing some, undervaluing others. Nice to feel that we all have the power to make those percolating changes in the natural world you describe.