On semiotic causality, levels of life, and the reification of resification

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Book chapter › Research › peer-review

Standard

On semiotic causality, levels of life, and the reification of resification. / Emmeche, Claus.

Semiotics in the Wild. : Essays in Honour of Kalevi Kull on the Occasion of His 60th Birthday.. ed. / Timo Maran; Kati Lindström; Riin Magnus; Morten Tønnesen. Tartu University Press, 2012. p. 131-137.

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Book chapter › Research › peer-review

Harvard

Emmeche, C 2012, On semiotic causality, levels of life, and the reification of resification. in T Maran, K Lindström, R Magnus & M Tønnesen (eds), Semiotics in the Wild. : Essays in Honour of Kalevi Kull on the Occasion of His 60th Birthday.. Tartu University Press, pp. 131-137.

APA

Emmeche, C. (2012). On semiotic causality, levels of life, and the reification of resification. In T. Maran, K. Lindström, R. Magnus, & M. Tønnesen (Eds.), Semiotics in the Wild. : Essays in Honour of Kalevi Kull on the Occasion of His 60th Birthday. (pp. 131-137). Tartu University Press.

Vancouver

Emmeche C. On semiotic causality, levels of life, and the reification of resification. In Maran T, Lindström K, Magnus R, Tønnesen M, editors, Semiotics in the Wild. : Essays in Honour of Kalevi Kull on the Occasion of His 60th Birthday.. Tartu University Press. 2012. p. 131-137

Author

Emmeche, Claus. / On semiotic causality, levels of life, and the reification of resification. Semiotics in the Wild. : Essays in Honour of Kalevi Kull on the Occasion of His 60th Birthday.. editor / Timo Maran ; Kati Lindström ; Riin Magnus ; Morten Tønnesen. Tartu University Press, 2012. pp. 131-137

Bibtex

@inbook{fd8692523e75496ca3fdcf4dec9a80ec,
title = "On semiotic causality, levels of life, and the reification of resification",
abstract = "A biosemiotic perspective upon modeling causation and levels of life can help inform our search for a deeper understanding of complex living systems. We attempt, first, to reify the notion of abstraction to include emergent natural processes of some kind, and second, to warrant the claim that it possible to find a kind of natural abstraction in natural systems when seen in a macro-historical perspective. The tradition of systems theory and non-linear dynamics see life as having emerged from non-living systems in an open process of generating new levels of organization. However, this perspective is incomplete and must be complemented with a conceptual model of how the newer more complex higher levels constrain and thus interpret, i.e., determine, processes and components at lower levels in the hierarchy, and that this kind of {\textquoteleft}downward causation{\textquoteright} is a semiotic process in the sense of involving natural interpretation and creation of new signification.",
keywords = "Faculty of Humanities, philosophy of nature, ontology",
author = "Claus Emmeche",
year = "2012",
language = "English",
isbn = "978-9949-32-041-7",
pages = "131--137",
editor = "Timo Maran and Kati Lindstr{\"o}m and Riin Magnus and Morten T{\o}nnesen",
booktitle = "Semiotics in the Wild.",
publisher = "Tartu University Press",
address = "Estonia",

}

RIS

TY - CHAP

T1 - On semiotic causality, levels of life, and the reification of resification

AU - Emmeche, Claus

PY - 2012

Y1 - 2012

N2 - A biosemiotic perspective upon modeling causation and levels of life can help inform our search for a deeper understanding of complex living systems. We attempt, first, to reify the notion of abstraction to include emergent natural processes of some kind, and second, to warrant the claim that it possible to find a kind of natural abstraction in natural systems when seen in a macro-historical perspective. The tradition of systems theory and non-linear dynamics see life as having emerged from non-living systems in an open process of generating new levels of organization. However, this perspective is incomplete and must be complemented with a conceptual model of how the newer more complex higher levels constrain and thus interpret, i.e., determine, processes and components at lower levels in the hierarchy, and that this kind of ‘downward causation’ is a semiotic process in the sense of involving natural interpretation and creation of new signification.

AB - A biosemiotic perspective upon modeling causation and levels of life can help inform our search for a deeper understanding of complex living systems. We attempt, first, to reify the notion of abstraction to include emergent natural processes of some kind, and second, to warrant the claim that it possible to find a kind of natural abstraction in natural systems when seen in a macro-historical perspective. The tradition of systems theory and non-linear dynamics see life as having emerged from non-living systems in an open process of generating new levels of organization. However, this perspective is incomplete and must be complemented with a conceptual model of how the newer more complex higher levels constrain and thus interpret, i.e., determine, processes and components at lower levels in the hierarchy, and that this kind of ‘downward causation’ is a semiotic process in the sense of involving natural interpretation and creation of new signification.

KW - Faculty of Humanities

KW - philosophy of nature

KW - ontology

M3 - Book chapter

SN - 978-9949-32-041-7

SP - 131

EP - 137

BT - Semiotics in the Wild.

A2 - Maran, Timo

A2 - Lindström, Kati

A2 - Magnus, Riin

A2 - Tønnesen, Morten

PB - Tartu University Press

ER -

ID: 40748201