At present, the establishment of a unified theory of information science is highly needed. From its research perspectives, a Unified Information Science, as a generalized information science, is no longer only dealing with specific information studies, but is rather an integrated and comprehensive field of studies in a broad sense. Information studies can be divided into several fields in terms of their focus, such as Philosophy of Information, Information Science (including intelligence and cognitive science), and the others listed above. For these areas, the Philosophy of Information offers the general theoretical basis. Only on the basis of philosophy could the specific information studies, at their various levels, be unified and a rational construction of a Unified Information Science achieved.

Especially in China, the contemporary philosophy of information begins with taking information as the fundamental principle of being or existence of the world, and then proposes the theory of dual existence of matter (including mass and energy) and information (including mind as a highly complex form of information). Because all things in the world are a unity of matter and information, no existing discipline of human knowledge can avoid the study of information. It is for that reason that we consider a unified information science to be a modern discipline system containing all human knowledge levels. In that sense, the discussion of the corresponding philosophical basis of different categories of information studies at various levels can facilitate the grand goal to construct a unified information science, and display the union of philosophy and science in the information age.

As information exhibits its universal character in an increasingly clear way, the information paradigm starts to play a powerful role in connecting and reforming the fields of science through information. Even though there are disciplines that yet haven’t been transformed, there are no disciplines that could not be transformed by the information paradigm.

As human beings we are facing a great fundamental transformation of civilization, conflicts and confrontations in fields of culture, economy, society and ecology becoming progressively more diverse and intense. This calls for in-depth research and reflection on the philosophical level, so as to effectively foster the development of a new system of human civilization, with the aim to promote the prosperity of human society, and to try to insure a future world of democracy, freedom and human happiness, shared by all humans.