Semiotic scaffolding: a unitary principle gluing life and culture together

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Semiotic scaffolding : a unitary principle gluing life and culture together. / Hoffmeyer, Jesper.

In: Green Letters, Vol. 19, No. 3, 2015, p. 243-254.

Research output: Contribution to journal › Journal article › Research › peer-review

Harvard

Hoffmeyer, J 2015, 'Semiotic scaffolding: a unitary principle gluing life and culture together', Green Letters, vol. 19, no. 3, pp. 243-254. https://doi.org/10.1080/14688417.2015.1058175

APA

Hoffmeyer, J. (2015). Semiotic scaffolding: a unitary principle gluing life and culture together. Green Letters, 19(3), 243-254. https://doi.org/10.1080/14688417.2015.1058175

Vancouver

Hoffmeyer J. Semiotic scaffolding: a unitary principle gluing life and culture together. Green Letters. 2015;19(3):243-254. https://doi.org/10.1080/14688417.2015.1058175

Author

Hoffmeyer, Jesper. / Semiotic scaffolding : a unitary principle gluing life and culture together. In: Green Letters. 2015 ; Vol. 19, No. 3. pp. 243-254.

Bibtex

@article{5404cd3e330e4453afa89c4c6b9a1b15,
title = "Semiotic scaffolding: a unitary principle gluing life and culture together",
abstract = "Life processes at all levels (from the genetic to the behavioral) are coordinated by semiotic interactions between cells, tissues, membranes, organs, or individuals and tuned through evolution to stabilize important functions. A stabilizing dynamics based on a system of semiotic scaffoldings implies that genes do not control the life of organisms, they merely scaffold it. The nature-nurture dynamics is thus far more complex and open than is often claimed. Contrary to physically based interactions, semiotic interactions do not depend on any direct causal connection between the sign vehicle (the representamen) and the effect. Semiotic interaction patterns therefore provide fast and versatile mechanisms for adaptations, mechanisms that depend on communication and “learning” rather than on genetic preformation. Seen as a stabilizing agency supporting the emergence of higher-order structure semiotic scaffolding is not, of course, exclusive for phylogenetic and ontogenetic development, it is also an important dynamical element in cultural evolution.",
keywords = "Faculty of Science, Biosemiotics, scaffolding, causality, teleodynamics, semiotic freedom, evolution",
author = "Jesper Hoffmeyer",
year = "2015",
doi = "10.1080/14688417.2015.1058175",
language = "English",
volume = "19",
pages = "243--254",
journal = "Green Letters",
issn = "1468-8417",
publisher = "Routledge",
number = "3",

}

RIS

TY - JOUR

T1 - Semiotic scaffolding

T2 - a unitary principle gluing life and culture together

AU - Hoffmeyer, Jesper

PY - 2015

Y1 - 2015

N2 - Life processes at all levels (from the genetic to the behavioral) are coordinated by semiotic interactions between cells, tissues, membranes, organs, or individuals and tuned through evolution to stabilize important functions. A stabilizing dynamics based on a system of semiotic scaffoldings implies that genes do not control the life of organisms, they merely scaffold it. The nature-nurture dynamics is thus far more complex and open than is often claimed. Contrary to physically based interactions, semiotic interactions do not depend on any direct causal connection between the sign vehicle (the representamen) and the effect. Semiotic interaction patterns therefore provide fast and versatile mechanisms for adaptations, mechanisms that depend on communication and “learning” rather than on genetic preformation. Seen as a stabilizing agency supporting the emergence of higher-order structure semiotic scaffolding is not, of course, exclusive for phylogenetic and ontogenetic development, it is also an important dynamical element in cultural evolution.

AB - Life processes at all levels (from the genetic to the behavioral) are coordinated by semiotic interactions between cells, tissues, membranes, organs, or individuals and tuned through evolution to stabilize important functions. A stabilizing dynamics based on a system of semiotic scaffoldings implies that genes do not control the life of organisms, they merely scaffold it. The nature-nurture dynamics is thus far more complex and open than is often claimed. Contrary to physically based interactions, semiotic interactions do not depend on any direct causal connection between the sign vehicle (the representamen) and the effect. Semiotic interaction patterns therefore provide fast and versatile mechanisms for adaptations, mechanisms that depend on communication and “learning” rather than on genetic preformation. Seen as a stabilizing agency supporting the emergence of higher-order structure semiotic scaffolding is not, of course, exclusive for phylogenetic and ontogenetic development, it is also an important dynamical element in cultural evolution.

KW - Faculty of Science

KW - Biosemiotics

KW - scaffolding

KW - causality

KW - teleodynamics

KW - semiotic freedom

KW - evolution

U2 - 10.1080/14688417.2015.1058175

DO - 10.1080/14688417.2015.1058175

M3 - Journal article

VL - 19

SP - 243

EP - 254

JO - Green Letters

JF - Green Letters

SN - 1468-8417

IS - 3

ER -

ID: 153758346