[Fis] Fwd: Beginnings and ends---Steps to a theory of reference & significance

Stanley N Salthe ssalthe at binghamton.edu
Mon Jan 19 17:04:05 CET 2015


---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Pedro C. Marijuan <pcmarijuan.iacs at aragon.es>
Date: Mon, Jan 19, 2015 at 11:02 AM
Subject: Re: [Fis] Beginnings and ends---Steps to a theory of reference &
significance
To: Stanley N Salthe <ssalthe at binghamton.edu>


Good comment! But not only to me, it has general interest, you should put
it into the list too... ---Pedro

Stanley N Salthe wrote:

>
> Pedro --  The Four Domains of Science diagram is reminiscent of the
> hierarchy of scientific disciplines outlined by Comte, Spencer and Peirce.
> Thus (using the subsumptive hierarchy):
>
>
>  {informational realm {physicochemical realm {Biological realm {social
> realm}}}}
>
>
> Information is here viewed as preceding any of the other realms.  It is
> not clear how to understand this.  Peirce had in this position ‘Universal
> Mind’, which I think could be viewed as informational. Comte had
> mathematics here, reifying what many would take to be an emergent human, or
> animal, capability.
>
> Many today would likely not give information a separate realm, but would
> take it to emerge with the physical world (?Wheeler?).  I think this
> coincides with my own view.
>
>
> STAN
>
>
> On Sat, Jan 17, 2015 at 5:25 AM, pedro marijuan <pcmarijuan.iacs at aragon.es
> <mailto:pcmarijuan.iacs at aragon.es>> wrote:
>
>     Thanks Stan (next Monday I will resend the figure). By the way, it
>     would be great if you can contribute to warm up the session!
>     Best--Pedro
>     BlackBerry de movistar, allí donde estés está tu oficin@
>     ------------------------------------------------------------
> ------------
>     *From: * Stanley N Salthe <ssalthe at binghamton.edu
>     <mailto:ssalthe at binghamton.edu>>
>     *Date: *Fri, 16 Jan 2015 09:39:40 -0500
>     *To: *Pedro C. Marijuan<pcmarijuan.iacs at aragon.es
>     <mailto:pcmarijuan.iacs at aragon.es>>
>     *Subject: *Re: [Fis] Beginnings and ends---Steps to a theory of
>     reference & significance
>
>     Oedro -- The figure does not show in this message.
>
>     STAN
>
>     On Fri, Jan 16, 2015 at 6:43 AM, Pedro C. Marijuan
>     <pcmarijuan.iacs at aragon.es <mailto:pcmarijuan.iacs at aragon.es>> wrote:
>
>         Dear Terry and FIS colleagues---and pirates,
>
>         Just a brief reflection on the below.
>
>         (From Terry's last message)...
>         So my goal in this case is quite modest, and yet perhaps also a bit
>         foolhardy. I want to suggest a simplest possible model system to
> use
>         as the basis for formalizing the link between physical processes
> and
>         semiotic processes. Perhaps someday after considerably elaborating
>         this analysis it could contribute to issues of the psychology of
> human
>         interactions. I hope to recruit some interest into pursuing this
> goal.
>
>         In my view, any research endeavor is also accompanied by some
>         "ultimate" goals or ends that go beyond the quite explicit
>         disciplinary ones. In this case, say, about the destiny of the
>         constructs that would surround the information concept (or the
>         possibility of framing an informational perspective, or a
>         renewed information science, or whatever), wouldn't it be
>         interesting discussing in extenso what could that ultimate
>         vision?
>
>         I mean, most of us may agree in quite many points related to
>         the microphysical (& thermodynamic) underpinning of
>         information, as it transpires in the exchanges we are
>         having--but where do we want to arrive finally with the
>         construction activity? I tend to disagree with localist aims,
>         even though at the time being they may look more prudent and
>         parsimonious. Putting it in brief, too briefly!, and borrowing
>         from Rosenbloom (P.S. 2013. On Computing: The Fourth Great
>         Scientific Domain) the idea is that information science,
>         properly developed and linked with computer science and
>         mathematics, should constitute one of the Great Domains of
>         contemporary science. The informational would go together with
>         the physical, the biological, and the social: constituting the
>         four great domains of science. See Figure below. Rather than
>         attempting the construction of another average or standard
>         discipline, information science is about the making out of one
>         of the “great scientific domains” of contemporary knowledge.
>
>         More cogent arguments could be elaborated on how to cover
>         sceintifically the whole "information world" (human societies,
>         behaving individuals, brain organization, cellular processes,
>         biomolecules) and the problem of interlocking--crisscrossing a
>         myriad of information flows at all levels. But the point is,
>         "ends", although unassailable, may be as much important as
>         "beginnings".
>
>         Thanks in advance for the patience!
>
>         ---Pedro
>
>
>
>         **
>
>
>         *Figure 1. The Four Great Domains of Science*. The graphic
>         shows the network of contemporary disciplines in the background;
>         while the superimposed “four-leaf clover” represents the four
>         great scientific domains.
>
>
>
>         --         -------------------------------------------------
>         Pedro C. Marijuán
>         Grupo de Bioinformación / Bioinformation Group
>         Instituto Aragonés de Ciencias de la Salud
>         Centro de Investigación Biomédica de Aragón (CIBA)
>         Avda. San Juan Bosco, 13, planta X
>         50009 Zaragoza, Spain
>         Tfno. +34 976 71 3526 <tel:%2B34%20976%2071%203526> (& 6818)
>         pcmarijuan.iacs at aragon.es <mailto:pcmarijuan.iacs at aragon.es>
>         http://sites.google.com/site/pedrocmarijuan/
>         -------------------------------------------------
>
>
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>
>
>
>

-- 
-------------------------------------------------
Pedro C. Marijuán
Grupo de Bioinformación / Bioinformation Group
Instituto Aragonés de Ciencias de la Salud
Centro de Investigación Biomédica de Aragón (CIBA)
Avda. San Juan Bosco, 13, planta X
50009 Zaragoza, Spain
Tfno. +34 976 71 3526 (& 6818)
pcmarijuan.iacs at aragon.es
http://sites.google.com/site/pedrocmarijuan/
-------------------------------------------------
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