The Nature of the Sign as a WFF—A Well-Formed Formula

Abstract

Reality, both material and conceptual, functions as a complex network of continuous adaptive morphological formation.The morphological form is a well-formed formula (wff), a Sign, an organized process of information. The Sign is formed within a triadic set of relations, which are encoded spatial and temporal measurements. Using a Cartesian quadrant, the six possible relational modes are examined to show how reality is moulded within both symmetrical and asymmetrical functions. MORPHOLOGICAL FORMATIONI am examining reality as a complex network of continuous adaptive morphological formation. Physical reality whether crisp or vague exists only within morphological forms, and equally, conceptual reality, whether experienced as individual information or as shared knowledge, functions only within morphological forms. I refer to the process of morphological generation as semiosis. The morphological form in itself, material and conceptual, is a well-formed formula (wff), termed a Sign. In defining the morphological entity as a wff, I refer to its development as a coherent form within a triadic set of relations, which are encoded spatial and temporal measurements. As a result of this triadic interaction the Sign exists as itself and in relations with other Signs, a process that permits both the networked continuity and diversity of reality (Taborsky 2002a(Taborsky , 2002b. THE CARTESIAN QUADRANTThe analytic model used to examine this transformative morphological process is a two-dimensional Cartesian coordinate quadrant (Figure 1). The model enables a morphological analysis that acknowledges differential spatial and temporal parameters of measurement. The ontological and epistemological 'cuts' (Atmanspacher 1994, Primas 1993, which are modeled respectively as the vertical Y and horizontal X axes, establish measurement parameters for six predicative relations. These six relations function as semiosic codal measurements; when a selection is made from these six and linked within a triadic functional 5 set, the result is a morphological reality, a sign. Whether this morphological unit is open or closed, is fuzzy or crisp, is an atom, a cell, a word, an action -it is a sign, a morphological reality, a wff.The vertical ontological Y cut, a result of temperature differentiation, demarcates spatial experience into internal and external spatial values. The morphologies within each zone are asymmetrical, internal space provides an insoluble completeness of data and external space provides a reducible discreteness of information.The horizontal epistemological X cut differentiates two further asymmetries; that between the local (individual) spatial values and the global (communal) spatial values. This is an important differentiation, for a basic property of a robust wff is its ability to permit the informational interaction between local nondistributed and communal distributed measurements. With this cut, which acts as the introduction of the temporal parameters of present, perfect and progressive time (Matsuno 1998(Matsuno ...

A semiotic framework for evolutionary and developmental biology

“…Peirce semiosis as understood by Taborsky (2002Taborsky ( , 2004Taborsky ( , 2005 and Salthe (1993Salthe ( , 1999, describes the more general framework of reality in which mind and matter are not substances but only encoding modes of a complex reality that exhibits a continuous behavior that goes from sheer randomness to law-like behavior, from mindfulness to inert mater, from bursts of dissipated energy to passive matter. Reality does not exist as discrete particles, or as abstracts bits of information, but rather as a complex network of continuous morphogenesis, dissipation and transformation.…”

“…It is an internal analog code represented in Fig. 1 Taborsky, 2004). The Y-axis divides the internal (left) from the external (right) zones.…”

“…Mode refers to processes in the sense of being possible, actual or necessary. These relations or measurements are codified as dyadic combinations of the three universal categories and so, there are six (Taborsky, 2002(Taborsky, , 2004:…”

“…Following Taborsky (2004) morphological units like organisms are functionally selected signs composed by three of the six relations, as input (raw sense data), mediation (memory and analysis) and output (interpretation of data). Since mediation requires a more general stance of memory it must be in a relation that involves Thirdness.…”

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This work aims at constructing a semiotic framework for an expanded evolutionary synthesis grounded on Peirce's universal categories and the six space/time/function relations [Taborsky, E., 2004. The nature of the sign as a WFF-a well-formed formula, SEED J.

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