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On the Semio-Mathematical Nature of Codes

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Abstract

The relational structure of RNA, DNA, and protein bears an interesting similarity to the determination problem in category theory. In this paper, we present this deep-structure similarity and use it as a springboard for discussing some abstract properties of coding in various systems. These abstract properties, in turn, may shed light on the evolution of the DNA world from a semiotic perspective. According to the perspective adopted in this paper, living systems are not information processing systems but “meaning-making” systems. Therefore, what flows in the genetic system is not “information” but “value.” We define meaning, meaning-making, and value and then use these terms to explain the abstract dynamics of coding, which can illuminate many forms of sign-mediated activities in biosystems.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Office for Interdisciplinary Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel

    Yair Neuman

  2. Department of Mathematics, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel

    Ophir Nave

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  1. Yair Neuman
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  2. Ophir Nave
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Correspondence to Yair Neuman.

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Neuman, Y., Nave, O. On the Semio-Mathematical Nature of Codes. Biosemiotics 1, 99–111 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12304-008-9004-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12304-008-9004-6

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