Indications for a metatheoretic foundation of meaning in biosemiotics. Some philosophical remarks as an introduction to the Gatherings in Biosemiotic 6, Salzburg, Austria, 5-9 July 2006
Biosemiotics is the study of meaning in living systems; it is about context dependent communication and signification on all levels of biological organization. Thereby, biosemiotics perceives the concept of meaning as an essential, non-reducible characteristic of the living world; without it, the la...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Paderborn University: Media Systems and Media Organisation Research Group
2008-07-01
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| Series: | tripleC: Communication, Capitalism & Critique |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.triple-c.at/index.php/tripleC/article/view/54 |
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| Summary: | Biosemiotics is the study of meaning in living systems; it is about context dependent communication and signification on all levels of biological organization. Thereby, biosemiotics perceives the concept of meaning as an essential, non-reducible characteristic of the living world; without it, the latter cannot be understood in a reasonable way. But this position is in conflict with the standard classical stance of natural science (though, of course, not with the one of social sciences). Accord-ing to this perspective, the idea of meaning can only be consid-ered as a kind of metaphorical use of language (due to our cognitive inability in terms of a complete reduction). This article gives some indications, how biosemiotics can defend and justify its position form a metatheoretic and philosophic point of view. Though, meaning is so evident and, hence, a basically real fact in living systems, we nevertheless need a sound scientific foundation for its argumentation. |
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| ISSN: | 1726-670X |