*Gatherings in Biosemiotics 2016 * Prague 4 – 8 July 2016 Meaning generation for constraint satisfaction. An evolutionary thread for biosemiotics Christophe Menant-Bordeaux-France Abstract: One of the mains challenges of biosemiotics is 'to attempt to naturalize biological meaning' [Sharov & all 2015]. That challenge brings to look at a possible evolutionary thread for biosemiotics based on meaning generation for internal constraint satisfaction, starting with a pre-biotic entity emerging from a material universe. Such perspective complements and extends previous works that used a model of meaning generation for internal constraint satisfaction (the Meaning Generator System) [Menant 2003a, b; 2011]. We propose to look at such an evolutionary thread for biosemiotics in three steps. The first step presents the proposed emergence of a pre-biotic entity as a far from thermodynamic equilibrium volume constrained to maintains its status [Menant 2015]. Such constraint dependence introduces natural links with teleology and with meaning generation. It also introduces perspectives for evolutionary origins of agency, self, and autonomy, coming in addition to other biosemiotic perspectives [Tønnessen, 2015]. The next step recalls the MGS as being a system approach linking the agent containing it to its environment and bringing to the agent a control from within. We apply the MGS to animal life. Relations with the Umwelt, with constructivism and with the Peircean triadic approach are highlighted. The last step of the thread brings the evolution of life up to humans where specificities related to human mind have to be taken into account. Among them is self-consciousness for which an existing evolutionary scenario introduces anxiety management as a foundational human constraint [Menant, 2014]. We link that scenario to the evolutionary thread because it introduces specific human constraints and is based on the evolution of meaningful representations. A conclusion summarizes the steps of the proposed evolutionary thread. More work is needed on that subject. Possible continuations are introduced. References: Menant C. (2003a). Evolution of meaningful information generation through the evolution of life. Gatherings in Biosemiotics 3 Copenhagen 2003 (http://philpapers.org/rec/MENEOM) Menant C. (2003b). Information and Meaning. Entropy 2003, 5, 193-204 [Journal on-Line] http://philpapers.org/rec/MENIAM-2 Menant C. (2011). Computation on information, meaning and representations. Proposal for an evolutionary approach. in Information and Computation: Essays on Scientific and Philosophical Understanding of Foundations of Information and Computation, edited by G. Dodig-Crnkovic and M. Burgin. World Scientific. ISBN-10: 9814295477, pp. 255-286. http://philpapers.org/rec/MENCOI Menant C. (2014) , Consciousness of oneself as object and as subject. Proposal for an evolutionary approach. TSC 2014 Poster. http://philpapers.org/rec/MENCOO Menant (2015) Biosemiotics, Aboutness, Meaning and Bio-intentionality. Proposal for an Evolutionary Approach. Gatherings in Biosemiotics 2015 presentation. http://philpapers.org/rec/MENBAM-2 Sharov, A., Maran, T., Tønnessen, M. (2015) .Towards Synthesis of Biology and Semiotics. Biosemiotics April 2015, Volume 8, Issue 1, pp 1-7 Tønnessen, M. (2015). The Biosemiotic Glossary Project: Agent, Agency. Biosemiotics April 2015, Volume 8, Issue 1, pp 125-143 A) Biosemiotics, meaning and evolution B) Meaning and local constraints. The MGS. Animal life and meaningful representations C) Meaning generation and self-consciousness. Humans with new constraints and meanings D) Conclusion and continuations ** Gatherings in Biosemiotics 2016 ** Prague July 4th 8th 1/7 Meaning generation for constraint satisfaction. An evolutionary thread for biosemiotics C. Menant – Bordeaux-– A) Biosemiotics, Meaning and evolution * "Human semiotics can be fully understood only after analyzing the evolution of signification processes in living organisms starting from the origin of life "(Sharov 1997) * "A study can be called semiotic only if the meaning-making aspect is made explicit" (Kull 2014) * "biosemiotics has acquired a more general scope. Today, its main challenge is the attempt to naturalize not only biological information (genetic, epigenetic, sensorial, and behavioral) but also biological meaning" (Sharov and all 2015) * "Biosemiotics encompasses all living systems from the cell, over bacteria, fungi, plants and animals to humans as sign producers and interpreters. Signs are the basic units for the study of life" (Brier 2005) * "Humans, too, have their particular Umwelten, and hence biosemiotics is a comparative study of meaning in human and nonhuman worlds" (Rattasepp and Kull, 2015) Starting point: "Meaning" is an evolutionary thread for biosemiotics ** Gatherings in Biosemiotics 2016 ** Prague July 4th 8th 2/7 Meaning generation for constraint satisfaction. An evolutionary thread for biosemiotics C. Menant – Bordeaux-– B1) Meaning and local constraints. The MGS. Animal life and meaningful representations ** Gatherings in Biosemiotics 2016 ** Prague July 4th 8th 3/7 Meaning generation for constraint satisfaction. An evolutionary thread for biosemiotics C. Menant – Bordeaux-– Abiotic universe Pre-biotic Universe Biotic Universe Ubiquist physico-chemical laws with temporary far from thermodynamic equilibrium states Pre-biotic entity Local Constraint « maintaining » a far from thermodynamic equilibrium Action implementation for internal constraint satisfaction Autonomy Agency/Self. Aboutness Teleology Life Reproduction * Abiotic universe: ubiquist laws with temporary far from thermodynamic equilibrium (FfTE) states * Proposal for emergence of local constraint maintaining a local FfTE volume => pre-biotic entity (same purpose as Deacon Autogen reciprocal catalysis) * Emergence of local constraint => teleology, meaning, agency/self, aboutness, action, autonomy, life * Proposal for considering « reproduction » as an evolutionary tool to maintain FfTE * Life as a outcome of these pre-biotic performances, not as source of them Meaning Generation for internal constraint satisfaction (MGS) Ref: C. Menant " Information and Meaning", Entropy 2003, 5, 193-204" B2) Meaning and local constraints. The MGS. Animal life and meaningful representations (http://philpapers.org/rec/MENITA-5) * Meaning as connection between received information and internal constraint. Phenomenal content * MGS => Control from within. Action for constraint satisfaction can be physical or mental * Usable for Umwelt, for Constructivism, for Peircean approach (partly), for artificial agents * MGS => closed loop processes. Permanent interactions within agent and with its environment * Meaningful representation as network of meanings. With past experiences & action scenarios ** Gatherings in Biosemiotics 2016 ** Prague July 4th 8th 4/7 Meaning generation for constraint satisfaction. An evolutionary thread for biosemiotics C. Menant – Bordeaux-– MGS: System approach Animal constraints : Stay alive (individual & species) Live group life Human constraints: Limit anxiety Look for happiness Avoid pain. Pleasure seeking Valorize ego, .... Artificial Agent constraints: As programmed (derived constraints) (http://philpapers.org/rec/MENTTC-2) C) Meaning Generation & Self-consciousness. Humans with new constraints and meanings (short version of http://philpapers.org/rec/MENCOO) Pre-Human Primates Humans Evolution toward our human Self-Consciousness as object as subject Representations of conspecifics with meaning: « Existing in the environment » Auto-representation (no conscious self-representation) Inter-subjectivity and identification with conspecifics (Mirror Neurons) Merger of representations and of meanings Auto-representation acquires the meaning: « Existing in the environment » Ancestral Self-Consciousness Evolution of inter-subjectivity => Merger of auto-representation with representations of conspecifics Representation of one's own entity as existing in the environment, like conspecifics are represented => Ancestral Self-Consciousness & Self-Consciousness as meaningful representations Identification with suffering conspecifics => Huge anxiety increase => Evolutionary engine Evolutionary benefits of Self-Consciousness come from anxiety management processes (http://philpapers.org/rec/MENPFA-3) Identification with suffering/endangered conspecifics => Huge anxiety increase. Anxiety limitation as constraint => Evolutionary benefits => Evolutionary engine ** Gatherings in Biosemiotics 2016 ** Prague July 4th 8th 5/7 Meaning generation for constraint satisfaction. An evolutionary thread for biosemiotics C. Menant – Bordeaux-– D1) Conclusion ** Gatherings in Biosemiotics 2016 ** Prague July 4th 8th 6/7 Meaning generation for constraint satisfaction. An evolutionary thread for biosemiotics C. Menant – Bordeaux-– (Pre-biotic universe) Local Constraint « maintaining » a far from thermodynamic equilibrium Action Autonomy Agency/Self Bio-intentionality Meaning Generation for Internal Constraint satisfaction (MGS -Interpretation-) Teleology Animal Life Conclusion is: *Internal constraint satisfaction is an evolutionary thread for Biosemiotics * Interpretation and coding have a common evolutionary origin in far from thermodynamic equilibrium state (?) Human mind Reproduction/Coding Stay alive Live group life Limit anxity, avoid pain. Look for happiness Valorize ego Pleasure seeking ... Starting point was: "Meaning" is an evolutionary thread for biosemiotics D2) Continuations * Find scenarios to validate : Emergence of local constraint maintaining a local far from thermodynamic equilibrium Reproduction as a tool to maintain a local far from thermodynamic equilibrium * Address possible Biosemiotics developments about: An evolutionary approach to the nature of human mind (http://philpapers.org/rec/MENPFA-3) Bio-intentionality as based on meaning management (http://philpapers.org/rec/MENBAM-2) * Look at how molecular semiosis can be related to meaning generation Works in process by other researchers ** Gatherings in Biosemiotics 2016 ** Prague July 4th 8th 7/7 Meaning generation for constraint satisfaction. An evolutionary thread for biosemiotics C. Menant – Bordeaux-–