Hi Clark, Edwina, Matt, lists,
Can it be that all three are essential as indicated in Figure 1 --
i) Environment (also called the physical),
ii) Mind (also called the mental), and
iii) Structure (also called the world of structures).
I am suggesting this possibility primarily based on the triadic model of
the world proposed by Burgin [1, p. 60] and the Peircean idea of ITR
(Irreducible Triadic Relation).
World of structure
(Structures)
/ \
/ \
/ \
Physical world -------- Mental world
(Environment) (Mind)
Figure 1. The triadic model of the world by Burign [1]
It is interesting to note that Burgin puts Plato's *Ideas* and *Forms *in
the Mental world and mathematical *formulas* and *categories* in the World
of structures [1, pp. 56-92].
Combining Figure 1 and ITR leads to Figure 2:
f g
Physical world -------> World of structures ------> Mental
(Firstness ?) (Secondness?) (Thridness ?)
[Object] [Sign]
[Interpretant]
{Emotion ?} {Cognition ?} {Credition ?}
|
^
|
|
|___________________________________|
h
Figure 2. The world as the embodiment of the Irreducible Triadic Relation
(ITR). f = physical evolution; g = biological evolution or 'anapoiesis'
of Nikolic [2] (?); h = information flow, which may be related to the
*enclosure
function* of the ultimate 'bab' or 'babushka' of Angel [3].
I think Figure 2 is consistent with Peircean metaphysics and semiotics as
indicated in parentheses.
Also Figure 2 may accommodate the triad of emotion, cogntion and credition
thought to be essential for the process of believing (Angel, 2013) and has
the room for the concept of 'bab' introduced by Angel (2013, 2016) which
was found to be useful in describing the characteristic properties of the
process of believing or credition. The term comes from the 'babushka'
dolls, the larger ones enclosing the smaller ones. This hierarchical
structure of the nesting dolls inspired Angel to coin the neologism,
imparting to it several properties characteristic of the process of
believing (Angel, 2013, 2016):
(i) Enclosure function = the cognitive process constituting or modifying
propositions (bab-configurations) such as vague ideas, confirmed knowledge,
values, or even moral claims
(ii) Converter function = the belief process activated when
bab-configurations are transformed into action,,
(iii) S*tabilizer-function* = changes fluid bab-configurations by
repetition into stable attitudes and mindsets
(iv) M*odulator-function* = highlights in a specific way the differences of
individuals and the differences of situations, in which creditive process
can occur.
Angel (2016) describes the context in which he was motivated to coin "bab":
“. . . we had to introduce a term that integrates both – cognitive and
emotional aspects. Thus “bab” was introduced to denote such a known item
that consists of the contents of beliefs. Each “bab” can carry specific
emotional value and describes an item at various levels of complexity. The
term “bab” is a meta-theoretically conceived neologism inspired by the
hierarchical organization of the “Babushka” doll (in some regions also
called “Matreshka”). Similarly to such a doll of different “sizes”, the
same contents of a “bab” can exist with different values of “mightiness”,
expressing the different personal relevance of the belief content. . . .”
All the best.
Sung
References:
[1] Burgin, M (2010) Theory of Information: Fundamentality, Diversity and
Unification. World Scientific, New Jersey.
[2] Nikolic D (2015) *Practopoiesis*: Or How life fosters a mind. J.
theoret. Biol. 373:40-61.
[3] Angel, H.-F. (2013) Encyclopedia of Sciences and Religions (Runehov
A L, Oviedo L, and Azari N P, eds). Springer, Dordrecht, pp. 536-539.
[4] Angel H.-F. (2016) A Process of Merging Interior and Exterior Reality:
A Short View on the Structure of Credition, in: Teixeira,
Maria-Teresa (Ed): Mind in Nature, in: European Studies in Process Thought,
2016, Cambridge Scholars Publishing [in press].
On Mon, Oct 19, 2015 at 2:49 PM, Clark Goble <cl...@lextek.com> wrote:
>
> On Oct 19, 2015, at 12:20 PM, Edwina Taborsky <tabor...@primus.ca> wrote:
>
> "To me the big issue were common structures in the environment privileging
> certain interpretations making either diffusion or common mind unnecessary.
> (Much like certain structures evolve independently in nature due to the
> environment)"
>
> EDWINA: - Agree up to a point. That is, I agree with the 'common
> structures in the envt privileging certain interpretations'...and diffusion
> is unnecessary (and often impossible due to continental isolation)...but..I
> think that 'common mind' is a reality. Otherwise, there could be multipe
> interpretations. That is, I don't see the human behaviour as entirely
> dependent on the envt; rather, the human behaviour is based on being *logical
> adaptations* to environmental realities. I insert that 'logical
> adaptation'.
>
> So, it is interesting for example to see that populations that were
> agricultural economies, that relied on irrigation to bring water to crops,
> developed large populations AND also, some form of mnemonic memory
> technology (some form of symbolic script or technique) to keep records.
> This was not emergent via diffusion (India, China, Egypt, Aztec,
> Inca)...Also, all developed a hierarchical authority and 'god-kings'
> infrastructure....
>
>
> I think it depends upon what we mean by common mind. Clearly there are
> common biological components to the brain which would suggest a common bias
> to the mind. I think psychologists and clinicians in the classic
> structuralist period went well beyond that though. Think Jung for instance.
> Admittedly a lot of psycho-analysis was complete nonsense so that’s not
> surprising.
>
> But I fully agree we can’t adopt a blank slate myth where all that matters
> is the environment. I should have made that more explicit. I’m skeptical
> that means the sorts of things structuralism dealt with in treating the
> mind as literature were correct.
>
>
>
>
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--
Sungchul Ji, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Pharmacology and Toxicology
Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology
Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy
Rutgers University
Piscataway, N.J. 08855
732-445-4701
www.conformon.net
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