[Fis] How Molecules Became Signs

[Terrence W. DEACON]

Dear FIS colleagues,

I am grateful to Pedro Marijuán for this opportunity to share this recently
published Open Access paper with all of you. I look forward to this new FIS
format for discussing recent publications, in addition to the annual
solicited discussion paper, and am honored to be included. I hope this
article is of interest. Here is a brief introduction.

As many scholars since the 1930s have pointed out, the concept of
information is regularly used in at least three distinct and nested senses:
a physical-statistical sense, a relational-referential sense, and a
pragmatic-functional sense. In the paper “How molecules become signs” I
show how the latter two senses can be understood in terms of molecular
evolution, without invoking any atypical physical-chemical properties or an
extrinsic observer perspective. In other words, I attempt to identify the
minimal systemic properties that are necessary and sufficient for a
physical system to be able to use a molecule (such as RNA) to be “about”
the relationships between other molecules that are relevant to the
continued existence of this same capacity. This is intended to provide what
amounts to a proof of principle using a simple-as-possible model system, in
which all processes are explicitly known and fully understood, and
empirically testable.

It has a number of implications that may be of interest to the FIS
community.

1. It implies that molecular template replication (such as invoked in
RNA-world and related replicator-first theories) cannot be understood as
providing intrinsically referential or functional information, except as
interpreted by an extrinsic observer (causing its semiotic properties to
appear epiphenomenal).
2. It shows how the constraints on the release of energy that constitutes
the work required to reconstitute these same constraints in new substrates
is the basis of what can be described as the “interpretive” capacity of a
physical system.
3. It demonstrates how materially “displaced” informational relationships
(such as in the case of DNA) depend on and grow out of prior linked mutual
information (iconic) and correlational information (indexical)
relationships, and how this can be hierarchically recursive, providing a
scaffolding logic for the evolution of increasing informational depth.
4. It suggests that Crick’s so-called “central dogma” of biological
information flow in organisms is the reverse of information accretion in
evolution - i.e. where referential-functional information flows from
dynamical constraints onto material constraints (e.g. molecular structure),
from whole to part, and thus is offloaded from dynamics to structure in
evolution. This may suggest new research paradigms for studying the
evolution of genetic information.
5. It implicitly describes a mode of autonomous virus-like proto-life forms
that may exist in conditions that are otherwise hostile to life, such as in
deep petroleum deposits or other planets.

I look forward to insights and criticisms from the FIS community. The
target article is also being published with commentaries, along with my
responses, and the journal may continue to accept commentaries from the FIS
community to be included in future issues.

Thanks, Terry

In honor of the 80th birthday of our brilliant departed colleague: Jesper
Hoffmeyer

On Sun, Feb 20, 2022 at 2:38 PM Terrence W. DEACON <deacon at berkeley.edu>
wrote:

> Dear FIS colleagues,
>
> I am grateful to Pedro Marijuán for this opportunity to share this
> recently published Open Access paper with all of you. I look forward to
> this new FIS format for discussing recent publications, in addition to the
> annual solicited discussion paper, and am honored to be included. I hope
> this article is of interest. Here is a brief introduction.
>
> As many scholars since the 1930s have pointed out, the concept of
> information is regularly used in at least three distinct and nested senses:
> a physical-statistical sense, a relational-referential sense, and a
> pragmatic-functional sense. In the paper “How molecules become signs” I
> show how the latter two senses can be understood in terms of molecular
> evolution, without invoking any atypical physical-chemical properties or an
> extrinsic observer perspective. In other words, I attempt to identify the
> minimal systemic properties that are necessary and sufficient for a
> physical system to be able to use a molecule (such as RNA) to be “about”
> the relationships between other molecules that are relevant to the
> continued existence of this same capacity. This is intended to provide what
> amounts to a proof of principle using a simple-as-possible model system, in
> which all processes are explicitly known and fully understood, and
> empirically testable.
>
> It has a number of implications that may be of interest to the FIS
> community.
>
> 1. It implies that molecular template replication (such as invoked in
> RNA-world and related replicator-first theories) cannot be understood as
> providing intrinsically referential or functional information, except as
> interpreted by an extrinsic observer (causing its semiotic properties to
> appear epiphenomenal).
> 2. It shows how the constraints on the release of energy that constitutes
> the work required to reconstitute these same constraints in new substrates
> is the basis of what can be described as the “interpretive” capacity of a
> physical system.
> 3. It demonstrates how materially “displaced” informational relationships
> (such as in the case of DNA) depend on and grow out of prior linked mutual
> information (iconic) and correlational information (indexical)
> relationships, and how this can be hierarchically recursive, providing a
> scaffolding logic for the evolution of increasing informational depth.
> 4. It suggests that Crick’s so-called “central dogma” of biological
> information flow in organisms is the reverse of information accretion in
> evolution - i.e. where referential-functional information flows from
> dynamical constraints onto material constraints (e.g. molecular structure),
> from whole to part, and thus is offloaded from dynamics to structure in
> evolution. This may suggest new research paradigms for studying the
> evolution of genetic information.
> 5. It implicitly describes a mode of autonomous virus-like proto-life
> forms that may exist in conditions that are otherwise hostile to life, such
> as in deep petroleum deposits or other planets.
>
> I look forward to insights and criticisms from the FIS community. The
> target article is also being published with commentaries, along with my
> responses, and the journal may continue to accept commentaries from the FIS
> community to be included in future issues.
>
> Thanks, Terry
>
> On Sat, Feb 19, 2022 at 1:12 PM Pedro C. Marijuán <
> pedroc.marijuan at gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> Dear FISers,
>>
>> We are going to start the new discussion modality based on specific
>> publications. The initial contribution to comment is:
>>
>> *"How Molecules Became Signs**."* By *Terrence W. Deacon*, recently
>> appeared in Biosemiotics.
>>
>> At his earlier convenience, Terry will send a leading text to start the
>> discussion.
>> Now, given that there is a doi https://doi.org/10.1007/s12304-021-09453-9
>> (for freely downloading the paper),
>> interested parties may read in advance the publication.
>>
>> Best greetings to all,
>> --Pedro
>>
>> PS. Given that there are another three contributions tentatively
>> arranged, a time span of around 2-3 weeks could be adequate. But we will
>> see on the spot.
>>
>>
>> <https://www.avast.com/sig-email?utm_medium=email&utm_source=link&utm_campaign=sig-email&utm_content=emailclient> Libre
>> de virus. www.avast.com
>> <https://www.avast.com/sig-email?utm_medium=email&utm_source=link&utm_campaign=sig-email&utm_content=emailclient>
>> <#m_-4879470826922797663_m_7595816000984545838_DAB4FAD8-2DD7-40BB-A1B8-4E2AA1F9FDF2>
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>
>
> --
> Professor Terrence W. Deacon
> University of California, Berkeley
>


-- 
Professor Terrence W. Deacon
University of California, Berkeley
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