Information Science evolved in last few decades from peripheral studies of other disciplines which used the concept of information in a more or less common sense meaning to a fully-fledged discipline with a growing toolkit of concepts and methods of inquiry. This does not mean that the concept of information acquired a unique definition or that there is a consensus regarding its theoretical description. However no nontrivial concept of science or philosophy has such unchallenged, uniform formulation.

Maturation of Information Science changed its role. At the beginning explanation of information was sought within the disciplines where the concept was used. In time it is the concept of information and its characteristics that serve as intellectual tools to solve problems of other disciplines. The expression “Informational Nature” is expressing the fact that nature, the subject of traditional scientific inquiry (in physics, chemistry, biology, etc.) requires for its study and understanding the concept of information and methods of Information Science.

As every other discipline, Information Science has its own challenges and the title of the Seventh International Conference on the Foundations of Information Science: Structure, Dynamics, Complexity in the Informational Nature points to great challenges for the intellectual inquiry, scientific exploration of reality or technological innovation. Our goal is to stimulate attempts to overcome these challenges. Moreover explanatory power of the concept of information in the variety of contexts and disciplines brings hope that the old dream of science to acquire a holistic view of reality can be achieved. The search for such a unifying perspective can be considered an ultimate goal of Information Science.