Towards a Biosemiotic Epistemology Don Favareau National University of Singapore International Society for Biosemiotic S

1. Towards a Biosemiotic Epistemology Don Favareau National University of Singapore International Society for Biosemiotic Studies www.biosemiotics.org/favareau/papers.html

2. BIO SEMIOTICS Life Processes Sign Processes

4. FIRSTNESS Relations of: Potentia, possibility SECONDNESS Relations of: Brute force, actuality THIRDNESS Relations of: Regularity, law

5. FIRSTNESS Relations of: Immediate sensation SECONDNESS Relations of: Sensory association THIRDNESS Relations of: Pragmatic knowledge

6. FIRSTNESS Immediate sensation REPRESENTATION SECONDNESS Sensory association SIGNIFICATION THIRDNESS Pragmatic knowledge MEANING

7. FIRSTNESS Immediate sensation REPRESENTATION – ICONIC RELATIONS SECONDNESS Sensory association SIGNIFICATION – INDEXICAL RELATIONS THIRDNESS Pragmatic knowledge MEANING – SYMBOLIC RELATIONS

8. Dynamic Systems Theory Umwelt Ecology Peircean Semiotic

9. FIRSTNESS Relations of: Potentia, possibility SECONDNESS Relations of: Brute force, actuality THIRDNESS Relations of: Regularity, law

10. Dynamic Systems Theory Umwelt Ecology Peircean Semiotic

12. BIOSEMIOTICS IS GROUNDED IN THE NATURALISTIC ASSUMPTION THAT ALL FORMS OF ORGANIZATION IN THE UNIVERSE EMERGE FROM INTERACTIONS WITHIN THE SYSTEM. THE DIVERSITY OF “ENTITIES” ARISE AS PRODUCED, TRANSIENT, CAUSAL POINTS OF ORDER.

13. NATURAL FORMS ARE THE PRODUCT OF IRREVERSIBILE, CONSEQUENTIAL CONSTRUCTIVISM IN THE ABSENCE OF TELEOLOGICAL PURPOSES OR CENTRALLY ORGANIZED CONTROL

14. The Adjacent Possible: Those possibilities that have just been actualized - and the substrate upon which immediate next actualization must take place

15. T1

16. T1 T2

17. T1 T2

18. T1 T2

19. T1 T2

20. FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLES OF ORGANIZATION: IRREVERSIBILITY INTERACTION EMERGENCE DOWNWARD CAUSATION AUTOPOESIS

21. A B Emergence – Interaction among constituents results in a property of the whole not found in any of the properties of the parts C

22. Downward Causation – Systemic Pressure increases downwards with each meta-system transition upwards E A B C D

23. Autopoesis: The measure of functional autonomy in a system’s ability to self-organize as a result of the recursivity of its own top-down and bottom-up interactions in coupling itself to its environment

24. FIRSTNESS Relations of: Potentia, possibility SECONDNESS Relations of: Brute force, actuality THIRDNESS Relations of: Regularity, law

25. With this introduction of systemagency, the bidirectional causality that organized biotic forms and their abiotic surrounds co-evolved exponentially.

27. FIRSTNESS Relations of: Immediate sensation SECONDNESS Relations of: Sensory association THIRDNESS Relations of: Pragmatic knowledge

28. Subjective experience is an organizing principle in nature

29. Dynamic Systems Theory Umwelt Ecology

31. Perceptual capacities develop as organisms mediate external and internal survival demands. The sign relations constituting an organism’s perceptual domain comprise the umwelt in which it chooses action.

35. The smallest unit of “information”is a difference that makes a difference to an organism – Gregory Bateson

37. Dynamic Systems Theory Umwelt Ecology Peircean Semiotic

38. FIRSTNESS Relations of: Immediate sensation SECONDNESS Relations of: Sensory association THIRDNESS Relations of: Pragmatic knowledge

39. FIRSTNESS Immediate sensation REPRESENTATION SECONDNESS Sensory association SIGNIFICATION THIRDNESS Pragmatic knowledge MEANING

44. FIRSTNESS Immediate sensation REPRESENTATION – ICONIC RELATIONS SECONDNESS Sensory association SIGNIFICATION – INDEXICAL RELATIONS THIRDNESS Pragmatic knowledge MEANING – SYMBOLIC RELATIONS

48. REPRESENTATION Apprehension of mind independent relations constituting ‘being’ or entity; made present to an organism directly and iconically IMMEDIATE SENSATION