--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: My greatest concern was what to call it…" description: "\"My greatest concern was what to call it. I thought of calling it ‘information’, but the word was overly used, so I decided to call it ‘uncertainty’. Wh..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/941/claude-shannon-41955_advantage_my-greatest-concern-was-what-to-call-it_312991.jpg" --- # My greatest concern was what to call it. I thought of… ![“My greatest concern was what to call it. I thought of calling it ‘information’, but the word was overly used, so I decided to call it ‘uncertainty’. When I discussed it with John von Neumann, he had a better idea. Von Neumann told me, “You should call it entropy, for two reasons. In the first…” quote by Claude Shannon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/941/claude-shannon-41955_advantage_my-greatest-concern-was-what-to-call-it_312991.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/941/claude-shannon-41955_advantage_my-greatest-concern-was-what-to-call-it_312991.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/941/claude-shannon-41955_advantage_my-greatest-concern-was-what-to-call-it_312991.jpg) > “My greatest concern was what to call it. I thought of calling it ‘information’, but the word was overly used, so I decided to call it ‘uncertainty’. When I discussed it with John von Neumann, he had a better idea. Von Neumann told me, “You should call it entropy, for two reasons. In the first place your uncertainty function has been used in statistical mechanics under that name, so it already has a name. In the second place, and more important, nobody knows what entropy really is, so in a debate you will always have the advantage.”” [Claude Shannon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claude-shannon/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Entropy, a measure of uncertainty, was chosen for its scientific roots and strategic ambiguity in debates. **In simple terms:** Entropy = uncertainty, useful in argument. Key Takeaway Use precise terms to strengthen discussions. Themes science communication strategy Mood analytical strategic Type technical philosophical When to use this quote - academic presentations - policy debates - technical writing Key Concepts information theory uncertainty semantics Questions to Reflect On - How does naming affect perception? - When is ambiguity advantageous? A Different Perspective Overreliance on jargon can obscure meaning. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Advantage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/advantage/) [Debate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/debate/) [Entropy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/entropy/) [First place](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/first-place/) [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [Mechanic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mechanic/) [Reason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reason/) [Second place](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/second-place/) [Uncertainty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/uncertainty/) [Von neumann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/von-neumann/) ## Related quotes > [You should call it entropy, for two reasons. In the first place your uncertainty function has been used in statistical mechanics under that name,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-von-neumann/you-should-call-it-entropy-for-two-reasons-in-the-first-place-your/) [John Von Neumann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-von-neumann/) > [Use "entropy" and you can never lose a debate, von Neumann told Shannon - because no one really knows what "entropy" is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-poundstone/use-entropy-and-you-can-never-lose-a-debate-von-neumann-told-shannon/) [William Poundstone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-poundstone/) > [“Von Neumann told Shannon to call his measure entropy, since "no one knows what entropy is, so in a debate you will always have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-campbell/von-neumann-told-shannon-to-call-his-measure-entropy-since-no-one/) [Jeremy Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-campbell/) > [John von Neumann was the only student I was ever afraid of.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-polya/john-von-neumann-was-the-only-student-i-was-ever-afraid-of/) [George Polya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-polya/) > [John von Neumann gave me an interesting idea: that you don't have to be responsible for the world that you're in. So I have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-p-feynman/john-von-neumann-gave-me-an-interesting-idea-that-you-don-t-have-to/) [Richard P. Feynman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-p-feynman/) > [All stable processes we shall predict. All unstable processes we shall control. Describing John von Neumann's aspiration for the application of computers sufficiently large…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freeman-dyson/all-stable-processes-we-shall-predict-all-unstable-processes-we-shall/) [Freeman Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freeman-dyson/) > [“It was the great Hungarian-born polymath John von Neumann who first recognized that social behavior could be analyzed as games.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-nasar/it-was-the-great-hungarian-born-polymath-john-von-neumann-who-first/) [Sylvia Nasar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-nasar/) > [“The sciences do not try to explain, they hardly even try to interpret, they mainly make models. By a model is meant a mathematical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-r-miller/the-sciences-do-not-try-to-explain-they-hardly-even-try-to-interpret-2/) [William R. Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-r-miller/) > [ He \[John von Neumann\] had the invaluable faculty of being able to take the most difficult problem and separate it into its components, whereupon… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanislaw-ulam/he-john-von-neumann-had-the-invaluable-faculty-of-being-able-to-take/) [Stanislaw Ulam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanislaw-ulam/) > [“In fact, it took the resources of three countries to produce the bomb: the United States, Great Britain, and Canada. But there was more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-benford/in-fact-it-took-the-resources-of-three-countries-to-produce-the-bomb/) [Gregory Benford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-benford/) > [John von Neumann draws attention to what seemed to him a contrast. He remarked that for simple mechanisms, it is often easier to describe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edsger-dijkstra/john-von-neumann-draws-attention-to-what-seemed-to-him-a-contrast-he/) [Edsger Dijkstra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edsger-dijkstra/) > [ \[A living organism\] ... feeds upon negative entropy ... Thus the device by which an organism maintains itself stationary at a fairly high level… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erwin-schrodinger/a-living-organism-feeds-upon-negative-entropy-thus-the-device-by/) [Erwin Schrodinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erwin-schrodinger/) > [“Alan Turing’s halting problem: you can’t know if the cells will all die off without running the game until they do die off. Thus,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-bookstaber/alan-turing-s-halting-problem-you-can-t-know-if-the-cells-will-all/) [Richard Bookstaber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-bookstaber/) > [There are two kinds of people in the world: Johnny Von Neumann and the rest of us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-wigner/there-are-two-kinds-of-people-in-the-world-johnny-von-neumann-and-the/) [Eugene Wigner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-wigner/) > [I remember my friend Johnny von Neumann used to say, 'with four parameters I can fit an elephant and with five I can make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/enrico-fermi/i-remember-my-friend-johnny-von-neumann-used-to-say-with-four/) [Enrico Fermi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/enrico-fermi/) ## More by Claude Shannon > [The fundamental problem of communication is that of reproducing at one point either exactly or approximately a message selected at another point.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claude-shannon/the-fundamental-problem-of-communication-is-that-of-reproducing-at/) [Claude Shannon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claude-shannon/) > [Cousins are part of your life so stick with cuz, not friends.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claude-shannon/cousins-are-part-of-your-life-so-stick-with-cuz-not-friends/) [Claude Shannon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claude-shannon/) > [Use the word 'cybernetics', Norbert, because nobody knows what it means. This will always put you at an advantage in arguments.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claude-shannon/use-the-word-cybernetics-norbert-because-nobody-knows-what-it-means/) [Claude Shannon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claude-shannon/) > [I just wondered how things were put together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claude-shannon/i-just-wondered-how-things-were-put-together/) [Claude Shannon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claude-shannon/) > [I visualize a time when we will be to robots what dogs are to humans. And I am rooting for the machines.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claude-shannon/i-visualize-a-time-when-we-will-be-to-robots-what-dogs-are-to-humans/) [Claude Shannon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claude-shannon/) > [Information is the #resolution of uncertainty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claude-shannon/information-is-the-resolution-of-uncertainty/) [Claude Shannon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claude-shannon/) > [I am very seldom interested in applications. I am more interested in the elegance of a problem. Is it a good problem, an interesting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claude-shannon/i-am-very-seldom-interested-in-applications-i-am-more-interested-in/) [Claude Shannon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claude-shannon/) > [We know the past but cannot control it. We control the future but cannot know it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claude-shannon/we-know-the-past-but-cannot-control-it-we-control-the-future-but/) [Claude Shannon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claude-shannon/) > [Information: the negative reciprocal value of probability.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claude-shannon/information-the-negative-reciprocal-value-of-probability/) [Claude Shannon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claude-shannon/) [Explore all 10 Claude Shannon quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claude-shannon/) ## More Advantage quotes > [Dogmatists have one advantage: they are poor listeners.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frans-de-waal/dogmatists-have-one-advantage-they-are-poor-listeners/) [Frans de Waal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frans-de-waal/) > [ Next came the Patent laws. These began in England in 1624; and, in this country, with the adoption of our constitution. Before then \[these?\],… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/next-came-the-patent-laws-these-began-in-england-in-1624-and-in-this/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) > [Talented people can predict with great accuracy what's about to happen just a tiny bit ahead of their competitors. It might be two seconds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-maney/talented-people-can-predict-with-great-accuracy-what-s-about-to/) [Kevin Maney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-maney/) > [All I ever wanted was an unfair advantage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garrison-wynn/all-i-ever-wanted-was-an-unfair-advantage/) [Garrison Wynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garrison-wynn/) > [Part of the advantage, and part of the result of trying to be a producer and director, are the practical things, you find. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/campbell-scott/part-of-the-advantage-and-part-of-the-result-of-trying-to-be-a/) [Campbell Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/campbell-scott/) > [I was born with a silver microphone in my mouth, and that was an advantage. My father wrote books and was also a great…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-dimbleby/i-was-born-with-a-silver-microphone-in-my-mouth-and-that-was-an/) [Jonathan Dimbleby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-dimbleby/) > [Like funny men, skilled diners are apparently perceived to have an evolutionary advantage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-goodyear/like-funny-men-skilled-diners-are-apparently-perceived-to-have-an/) [Dana Goodyear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-goodyear/) > [For some reason when I decide to pursue something, I never have any fear that it won't happen. I think it's just ingrained in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-blatz/for-some-reason-when-i-decide-to-pursue-something-i-never-have-any/) [Kelly Blatz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-blatz/) > [I think I have good hands, so I try to use them to my advantage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bianca-andreescu/i-think-i-have-good-hands-so-i-try-to-use-them-to-my-advantage/) [Bianca Andreescu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bianca-andreescu/) > [My influences are jazz, blues, European classical music; they are rock music and pop music. So many kinds of music. World music from different…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rokia-traore/my-influences-are-jazz-blues-european-classical-music-they-are-rock/) [Rokia Traore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rokia-traore/) > [Baseball needs to put the steroids era behind it by having and enforcing tough rules against all kinds of artificial advantages, so that spring…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marvin-olasky/baseball-needs-to-put-the-steroids-era-behind-it-by-having-and/) [Marvin Olasky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marvin-olasky/) > [Daily contact with some teachers is itself all-sided ethical education for the child without a spoken precept. Here, too, the real advantage of male…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-stanley-hall/daily-contact-with-some-teachers-is-itself-all-sided-ethical/) [G. Stanley Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-stanley-hall/) > [ If \[Donald\] Trump throws 20 million off of health care, that's going to be - if he handles this badly - and it's very… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/van-jones/if-donald-trump-throws-20-million-off-of-health-care-that-s-going-to/) [Van Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/van-jones/) > [Live in the world you inhabit. Look upon things as they are. Take them as you find them. Make the best of them. Turn…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-e-lee/live-in-the-world-you-inhabit-look-upon-things-as-they-are-take-them/) [Robert E. Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-e-lee/) > [I always tell women that the fact that you're different and that you're noticed, because there are few of us in the tech industry,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/padmasree-warrior/i-always-tell-women-that-the-fact-that-you-re-different-and-that-you/) [Padmasree Warrior](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/padmasree-warrior/) [Browse all 3,503 Advantage quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/advantage/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "My greatest concern was what to call it. I thought of calling it ‘information’, but the word was overly used, so I decided to call it ‘uncertainty’. When I discussed it with John von Neumann, he had a better idea. Von Neumann told me, “You should call it entropy, for two reasons. In the first place your uncertainty function has been used in statistical mechanics under that name, so it already has a name. 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