Semiotic Agency: Science beyond Mechanism

This book explores the world of agency, including humans, organisms, cells, and artificial autonomous systems. It combines mechanistic and non-mechanistic approaches to analyze the function and evolution of organisms and their subagents, providing a theoretical platform for integrating biosemiotics with natural science and the humanities/social sciences. Agents are autonomous systems that incorporate knowledge to make sense of their environment and achieve their goals, supported by mechanisms at the lowest level. Non-mechanistic methods rely on the goal-directedness of agents and their dynamics follow self-stabilized dynamic attractors. The book challenges established traditions in natural science and the humanities/social sciences, suggesting that semiotic analysis can be extended to all agents, including ribosomes in cells, computers, and robots.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 372 pages
Publication date: 09 February 2023
Publisher: Springer Nature Switzerland AG

This captivating book invites readers to embark on an exhilarating journey into the realm of agency, encompassing a vast array of entities, including humans, other organisms, cells, intracellular molecular agents, colonies, populations, ecological systems, and artificial autonomous systems. We employ a holistic approach, combining mechanistic and non-mechanistic methodologies, to analyze the function and evolution of organisms, their subagents, and multi-organism systems. By doing so, we provide a theoretical framework that seamlessly integrates biosemiotics with both natural science and the humanities/social sciences.

Agents, remarkable autonomous systems, possess a profound understanding of their environment and utilize this knowledge to accomplish their objectives. The fundamental functions of all agents are upheld by underlying mechanisms at the most basic level; however, the explanatory capacity of mechanistic analysis alone is insufficient for complex agents. Non-mechanistic methods rely on the goal-directedness of agents whose dynamics adhere to self-stabilized dynamic attractors. The characteristics of these attractors are influenced by stable or gradually evolving factors, and these dependencies can be interpreted as sign relations if they exhibit adaptive properties. Agents possess the ability to dynamically replace or redirect mechanisms as needed to preserve their functionalities, making them essential tools for performing higher-level semiotic functions.

We make the bold assumption that mechanism and semiosis are not mutually exclusive, and that even simple agents can interpret signs mechanistically. This assumption enables us to extend semiotic analysis to all agents, including ribosomes within cells, computers, and robots. By challenging established conventions in natural science and the humanities/social sciences, this book heralds a new era of inclusivity, where semiotics no longer confines itself to humans and rational thinking, and biology embraces a broader range of reasoning beyond mechanistic approaches.

In conclusion, this book offers a transformative perspective on agency, inviting readers to explore the intricate connections between diverse entities and their roles in shaping the world around us. Through a rigorous blend of mechanistic and non-mechanistic methodologies, we provide a comprehensive theoretical framework that fosters interdisciplinary collaboration and expands our understanding of the complex tapestry of life.

Weight: 605g
Dimension: 235 x 155 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9783030894863
Edition number: 1st ed. 2021