Date
1 - 15 of 15
Sign Relations
Cf: Sign Relations • Anthesis
http://inquiryintoinquiry.com/2022/06/29/sign-relations-anthesis-2/ <QUOTE CSP:> Thus, if a sunflower, in turning towards the sun, becomes by that very act fully capable, without further condition, of reproducing a sunflower which turns in precisely corresponding ways toward the sun, and of doing so with the same reproductive power, the sunflower would become a Representamen of the sun. — C.S. Peirce, Collected Papers, CP 2.274 </QUOTE> All, In his picturesque illustration of a sign relation, along with his tracing of a corresponding sign process, or “semiosis”, Peirce uses the technical term “representamen” for his concept of a sign, but the shorter word is precise enough, so long as one recognizes its meaning in a particular theory of signs is given by a specific definition of what it means to be a sign. Resources — • Semeiotic ( https://oeis.org/wiki/Semeiotic ) • Logic Syllabus ( https://inquiryintoinquiry.com/logic-syllabus/ ) • Sign Relations ( https://oeis.org/wiki/Sign_relation ) • Triadic Relations ( https://oeis.org/wiki/Triadic_relation ) • Relation Theory ( https://oeis.org/wiki/Relation_theory ) cc: Conceptual Graphs • Cybernetics • Laws of Form • Ontolog Forum cc: FB | Semeiotics • Structural Modeling • Systems Science
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Cf: Sign Relations • Definition
http://inquiryintoinquiry.com/2022/06/30/sign-relations-definition-2/ All, One of Peirce's clearest and most complete definitions of a sign is one he gives in the context of providing a definition for logic, and so it is informative to view it in that setting. <QUOTE CSP:> Logic will here be defined as formal semiotic. A definition of a sign will be given which no more refers to human thought than does the definition of a line as the place which a particle occupies, part by part, during a lapse of time. Namely, a sign is something, A, which brings something, B, its interpretant sign determined or created by it, into the same sort of correspondence with something, C, its object, as that in which itself stands to C. It is from this definition, together with a definition of “formal”, that I deduce mathematically the principles of logic. I also make a historical review of all the definitions and conceptions of logic, and show, not merely that my definition is no novelty, but that my non-psychological conception of logic has virtually been quite generally held, though not generally recognized. (C.S. Peirce, NEM 4, 20–21). </QUOTE> In the general discussion of diverse theories of signs, the question frequently arises whether signhood is an absolute, essential, indelible, or ontological property of a thing, or whether it is a relational, interpretive, and mutable role a thing can be said to have only within a particular context of relationships. Peirce's definition of a sign defines it in relation to its object and its interpretant sign, and thus defines signhood in relative terms, by means of a predicate with three places. In this definition, signhood is a role in a triadic relation, a role a thing bears or plays in a given context of relationships — it is not an absolute, non-relative property of a thing-in-itself, a status it maintains independently of all relationships to other things. Some of the terms Peirce uses in his definition of a sign may need to be elaborated for the contemporary reader. • Correspondence. From the way Peirce uses this term throughout his work it is clear he means what he elsewhere calls a “triple correspondence”, in short, just another way of referring to the whole triadic sign relation itself. In particular, his use of this term should not be taken to imply a dyadic correspondence, as in the varieties of “mirror image” correspondence between realities and representations bandied about in contemporary controversies about “correspondence theories of truth”. • Determination. Peirce's concept of determination is broader in several ways than the sense of the word referring to strictly deterministic causal-temporal processes. First, and especially in this context, he uses a more general concept of determination, what is known as formal or informational determination, as we use in geometry when we say “two points determine a line”, rather than the more special cases of causal or temporal determinisms. Second, he characteristically allows for the broader concept of determination in measure, that is, an order of determinism admitting a full spectrum of more and less determined relationships. • Non-psychological. Peirce's “non-psychological conception of logic” must be distinguished from any variety of anti-psychologism. He was quite interested in matters of psychology and had much of import to say about them. But logic and psychology operate on different planes of study even when they happen to view the same data, as logic is a normative science where psychology is a descriptive science. Thus they have distinct aims, methods, and rationales. Reference • Charles S. Peirce (1902), “Parts of Carnegie Application” (L 75), in Carolyn Eisele (ed., 1976), The New Elements of Mathematics by Charles S. Peirce, vol. 4, 13–73. Online ( https://arisbe.sitehost.iu.edu/menu/library/bycsp/L75/l75.htm ) . Resources • Semeiotic ( https://oeis.org/wiki/Semeiotic ) • Logic Syllabus ( https://inquiryintoinquiry.com/logic-syllabus/ ) • Sign Relations ( https://oeis.org/wiki/Sign_relation ) • Triadic Relations ( https://oeis.org/wiki/Triadic_relation ) • Relation Theory ( https://oeis.org/wiki/Relation_theory ) Document History See OEIS Wiki • Sign Relation • Document History https://oeis.org/wiki/Sign_relation#Document_history Regards, Jon
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Cf: Sign Relations • Signs and Inquiry
http://inquiryintoinquiry.com/2022/06/30/sign-relations-signs-and-inquiry-2/ All, There is a close relationship between the pragmatic theory of signs and the pragmatic theory of inquiry. In fact, the correspondence between the two studies exhibits so many congruences and parallels it is often best to treat them as integral parts of one and the same subject. In a very real sense, inquiry is the process by which sign relations come to be established and continue to evolve. In other words, inquiry, “thinking” in its best sense, “is a term denoting the various ways in which things acquire significance” (John Dewey). Tracing the passage of inquiry through the medium of signs calls for an active, intricate form of cooperation between our converging modes of investigation. Its proper character is best understood by realizing the theory of inquiry is adapted to study the developmental aspects of sign relations, whose evolution the theory of signs is specialized to treat from comparative and structural points of view. References • Charles S. Peirce (1902), “Parts of Carnegie Application” (L 75), in Carolyn Eisele (ed., 1976), The New Elements of Mathematics by Charles S. Peirce, vol. 4, 13–73. ( https://arisbe.sitehost.iu.edu/menu/library/bycsp/L75/l75.htm ) • Awbrey, J.L., and Awbrey, S.M. (1995), “Interpretation as Action : The Risk of Inquiry”, Inquiry : Critical Thinking Across the Disciplines 15(1), pp. 40–52. ( https://web.archive.org/web/20001210162300/http://chss.montclair.edu/inquiry/fall95/awbrey.html ) Journal ( https://www.pdcnet.org/inquiryct/content/inquiryct_1995_0015_0001_0040_0052 ) [doc] ( https://www.academia.edu/1266493/Interpretation_as_Action_The_Risk_of_Inquiry ) [pdf] ( https://www.academia.edu/57812482/Interpretation_as_Action_The_Risk_of_Inquiry ) Regards, Jon
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Cf: Sign Relations • Examples
http://inquiryintoinquiry.com/2022/07/02/sign-relations-examples-2/ All, Soon after I made my third foray into grad school, this time in Systems Engineering, I was trying to explain sign relations to my advisor and he — being the very model of a modern systems engineer — asked me to give a concrete example of a sign relation, as simple as possible without being trivial. After much cudgeling of the grey matter I came up with a pair of examples which had the added benefit of bearing instructive relationships to each other. Despite their simplicity, the examples to follow have subtleties of their own and their careful treatment serves to illustrate important issues in the general theory of signs. Imagine a discussion between two people, Ann and Bob, and attend only to the aspects of their interpretive practice involving the use of the following nouns and pronouns. • “Ann”, “Bob”, “I”, “you”. • The “object domain” of their discussion is the set of two people {Ann, Bob}. • The “sign domain” of their discussion is the set of four signs {“Ann”, “Bob”, “I”, “you”}. Ann and Bob are not only the passive objects of linguistic references but also the active interpreters of the language they use. The “system of interpretation” associated with each language user can be represented in the form of an individual three-place relation known as the “sign relation” of that interpreter. In terms of its set-theoretic extension, a sign relation L is a subset of a cartesian product O × S × I. The three sets O, S, I are known as the “object domain”, the “sign domain”, and the “interpretant domain”, respectively, of the sign relation L ⊆ O × S × I. Broadly speaking, the three domains of a sign relation may be any sets at all but the types of sign relations contemplated in formal settings are usually constrained to having I ⊆ S. In those situations it becomes convenient to lump signs and interpretants together in a single class called the “sign system” or the “syntactic domain”. In the forthcoming examples S and I are identical as sets, so the same elements manifest themselves in two different roles of the sign relations in question. When it becomes necessary to refer to the whole set of objects and signs in the union of the domains O, S, I for a given sign relation L, we will call this set the “World of L” and write W = W_L = O ∪ S ∪ I. To facilitate an interest in the formal structures of sign relations and to keep notations as simple as possible as the examples become more complicated, it serves to introduce the following general notations. • O = Object Domain • S = Sign Domain • I = Interpretant Domain Introducing a few abbreviations for use in this Example, we have the following data. • O = {Ann, Bob} = {A, B} • S = {“Ann”, “Bob”, “I”, “you”} = {“A”, “B”, “i”, “u”} • I = {“Ann”, “Bob”, “I”, “you”} = {“A”, “B”, “i”, “u”} In the present example, S = I = Syntactic Domain. Tables 1a and 1b show the sign relations associated with the interpreters A and B, respectively. In this arrangement the rows of each Table list the ordered triples of the form (o, s, i) belonging to the corresponding sign relations, L_A, L_B ⊆ O × S × I. Figure. Sign Relation Tables L_A and L_B https://inquiryintoinquiry.files.wordpress.com/2020/05/sign-relation-twin-tables-la-lb.png The Tables codify a rudimentary level of interpretive practice for the agents A and B and provide a basis for formalizing the initial semantics appropriate to their common syntactic domain. Each row of a Table lists an object and two co-referent signs, together forming an ordered triple (o, s, i) called an “elementary sign relation”, that is, one element of the relation's set-theoretic extension. Already in this elementary context, there are several meanings which might attach to the project of a formal semiotics, or a formal theory of meaning for signs. In the process of discussing the alternatives, it is useful to introduce a few terms occasionally used in the philosophy of language to point out the needed distinctions. That is the task we’ll turn to next. Regards, Jon
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Cf: Sign Relations • Dyadic Aspects
http://inquiryintoinquiry.com/2022/07/03/sign-relations-dyadic-aspects-2/ All, For an arbitrary triadic relation L ⊆ O × S × I, whether it happens to be a sign relation or not, there are 6 dyadic relations obtained by projecting L on one of the planes of the OSI-space O × S × I. The 6 dyadic projections of a triadic relation L are defined and notated as shown in Table 2. Table 2. Dyadic Aspects of Triadic Relations https://inquiryintoinquiry.files.wordpress.com/2020/06/dyadic-projections-of-triadic-relations.png By way of unpacking the set-theoretic notation, here is what the first definition says in ordinary language. The dyadic relation resulting from the projection of L on the OS-plane O × S is written briefly as L_OS or written more fully as proj_{OS}(L) and is defined as the set of all ordered pairs (o, s) in the cartesian product O × S for which there exists an ordered triple (o, s, i) in L for some element i in the set I. In the case where L is a sign relation, which it becomes by satisfying one of the definitions of a sign relation, some of the dyadic aspects of L can be recognized as formalizing aspects of sign meaning which have received their share of attention from students of signs over the centuries, and thus they can be associated with traditional concepts and terminology. Of course, traditions may vary as to the precise formation and usage of such concepts and terms. Other aspects of meaning have not received their fair share of attention, and thus remain anonymous on the contemporary scene of sign studies. Regards, Jon
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Cf: Sign Relations • Denotation
http://inquiryintoinquiry.com/2022/07/05/sign-relations-denotation-2/ All, One aspect of a sign's complete meaning concerns the reference a sign has to its objects, which objects are collectively known as the “denotation” of the sign. In the pragmatic theory of sign relations, denotative references fall within the projection of the sign relation on the plane spanned by its object domain and its sign domain. The dyadic relation making up the “denotative”, “referent”, or “semantic” aspect of a sign relation L is notated as Den(L). Information about the denotative aspect of meaning is obtained from L by taking its projection on the object-sign plane. We may visualize this as the “shadow” L casts on the 2-dimensional space whose axes are the object domain O and the sign domain S. The denotative component of a sign relation L, variously written in any of forms, proj_{OS} L, L_OS, proj_{12} L, and L_12, is defined as follows. • Den(L) = proj_{OS} L = {(o, s) ∈ O × S : (o, s, i) ∈ L for some i ∈ I}. Tables 3a and 3b show the denotative components of the sign relations associated with the interpreters A and B, respectively. The rows of each Table list the ordered pairs (o, s) in the corresponding projections, Den(L_A), Den(L_B) ⊆ O \times S. Tables 3a and 3b. Denotative Components Den(L_A) and Den(L_B) https://inquiryintoinquiry.files.wordpress.com/2020/06/sign-relation-twin-tables-den-la-den-lb.png Looking to the denotative aspects of L_A and L_B, various rows of the Tables specify, for example, that A uses “i” to denote A and “u” to denote B, while B uses “i” to denote B and “u” to denote A. Regards, Jon
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Cf: Sign Relations • Connotation
https://inquiryintoinquiry.com/2022/07/06/sign-relations-connotation-2/ All, Another aspect of a sign's complete meaning concerns the reference a sign has to its interpretants, which interpretants are collectively known as the “connotation” of the sign. In the pragmatic theory of sign relations, connotative references fall within the projection of the sign relation on the plane spanned by its sign domain and its interpretant domain. In the full theory of sign relations the connotative aspect of meaning includes the links a sign has to affects, concepts, ideas, impressions, intentions, and the whole realm of an interpretive agent's mental states and allied activities, broadly encompassing intellectual associations, emotional impressions, motivational impulses, and real conduct. Taken at the full, in the natural setting of semiotic phenomena, this complex system of references is unlikely ever to find itself mapped in much detail, much less completely formalized, but the tangible warp of its accumulated mass is commonly alluded to as the connotative import of language. Formally speaking, however, the connotative aspect of meaning presents no additional difficulty. The dyadic relation making up the connotative aspect of a sign relation L is notated as Con(L). Information about the connotative aspect of meaning is obtained from L by taking its projection on the sign-interpretant plane. We may visualize this as the “shadow” L casts on the 2-dimensional space whose axes are the sign domain S and the interpretant domain I. The connotative component of a sign relation L, alternatively written in any of forms, proj_{SI} L, L_SI, proj_{23} L, and L_23, is defined as follows. • Con(L) = proj}_{SI} L = {(s, i) ∈ S × I : (o, s, i) ∈ L for some o ∈ O}. Tables 4a and 4b show the connotative components of the sign relations associated with the interpreters A and B, respectively. The rows of each Table list the ordered pairs (s, i) in the corresponding projections, Con(L_A), Con(L_B) ⊆ S × I. Tables 4a and 4b. Connotative Components Con(L_A) and Con(L_B) https://inquiryintoinquiry.files.wordpress.com/2020/06/sign-relation-twin-tables-con-la-con-lb.png Regards, Jon
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Cf: Sign Relations • Ennotation
http://inquiryintoinquiry.com/2022/07/06/sign-relations-ennotation-2/ All, A third aspect of a sign’s complete meaning concerns the relation between its objects and its interpretants, which has no standard name in semiotics. It would be called an “induced relation” in graph theory or the result of “relational composition” in relation theory. If an interpretant is recognized as a sign in its own right then its independent reference to an object can be taken as belonging to another moment of denotation, but this neglects the mediational character of the whole transaction in which this occurs. Denotation and connotation have to do with dyadic relations in which the sign plays an active role but here we are dealing with a dyadic relation between objects and interpretants mediated by the sign from an off-stage position, as it were. As a relation between objects and interpretants mediated by a sign, this third aspect of meaning may be referred to as the “ennotation” of a sign and the dyadic relation making up the ennotative aspect of a sign relation L may be notated as Enn(L). Information about the ennotative aspect of meaning is obtained from L by taking its projection on the object-interpretant plane. We may visualize this as the “shadow” L casts on the 2-dimensional space whose axes are the object domain O and the interpretant domain I. The ennotative component of a sign relation L, variously written in any of the forms, proj_{OI} L, L_OI, proj_{13} L, and L_13, is defined as follows. • Enn(L) = proj_{OI} L = {(o, i) ∈ O × I : (o, s, i) ∈ L for some s ∈ S}. As it happens, the sign relations L_A and L_B are fully symmetric with respect to exchanging signs and interpretants, so all the data of proj_{OS} L_A is echoed unchanged in proj_{OI} L_A and all the data of proj_{OS} L_B is echoed unchanged in proj_{OI} L_B. Tables 5a and 5b show the ennotative components of the sign relations associated with the interpreters A and B, respectively. The rows of each Table list the ordered pairs (o, i) in the corresponding projections, Enn(L_A), Enn(L_B) ⊆ O × I. Tables 5a and 5b. Ennotative Components Enn(L_A) and Enn(L_B) https://inquiryintoinquiry.files.wordpress.com/2020/06/sign-relation-twin-tables-enn-la-enn-lb.png Regards, Jon
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Cf: Sign Relations • Semiotic Equivalence Relations 1
http://inquiryintoinquiry.com/2022/07/07/sign-relations-semiotic-equivalence-relations-1-2/ All, A “semiotic equivalence relation” (SER) is a special type of equivalence relation arising in the analysis of sign relations. Generally speaking, any equivalence relation induces a partition of the underlying set of elements, known as the “domain” or “space” of the relation, into a family of equivalence classes. In the case of a SER the equivalence classes are called “semiotic equivalence classes” (SECs) and the partition is called a “semiotic partition” (SEP). The sign relations L_A and L_B have many interesting properties over and above those possessed by sign relations in general. Some of those properties have to do with the relation between signs and their interpretant signs, as reflected in the projections of L_A and L_B on the SI-plane, notated as proj_{SI} L_A and proj_{SI} L_B, respectively. The dyadic relations on S × I induced by those projections are also referred to as the “connotative components” of the corresponding sign relations, notated as Con(L_A) and Con(L_B), respectively. Tables 6a and 6b show the corresponding connotative components. Tables 6a and 6b. Connotative Components Con(L_A) and Con(L_B) https://inquiryintoinquiry.files.wordpress.com/2020/06/connotative-components-con-la-con-lb.png A nice property of the sign relations L_A and L_B is that their connotative components Con(L_A) and Con(L_B) form a pair of equivalence relations on their common syntactic domain S = I. This type of equivalence relation is called a “semiotic equivalence relation” (SER) because it equates signs having the same meaning to some interpreter. Each of the semiotic equivalence relations, Con(L_A), Con(L_B) ⊆ S×I ≅ S×S partitions the collection of signs into semiotic equivalence classes. This constitutes a strong form of representation in that the structure of the interpreters’ common object domain {A, B} is reflected or reconstructed, part for part, in the structure of each one’s semiotic partition of the syntactic domain {“A”, “B”, “i”, “u”}. It’s important to observe the semiotic partitions for interpreters A and B are not identical, indeed, they are orthogonal to each other. Thus we may regard the “form” of the partitions as corresponding to an objective structure or invariant reality, but not the literal sets of signs themselves, independent of the individual interpreter’s point of view. Information about the contrasting patterns of semiotic equivalence corresponding to the interpreters A and B is summarized in Tables 7a and 7b. The form of the Tables serves to explain what is meant by saying the SEPs for A and B are “orthogonal” to each other. Tables 7a and 7b. Semiotic Partitions for Interpreters A and B https://inquiryintoinquiry.files.wordpress.com/2020/06/semiotic-partitions-for-interpreters-a-b.png Regards, Jon
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Cf: Sign Relations • Semiotic Equivalence Relations 2
https://inquiryintoinquiry.com/2022/07/08/sign-relations-semiotic-equivalence-relations-2-2/ All, A few items of notation are useful in discussing equivalence relations in general and semiotic equivalence relations in particular. In general, if E is an equivalence relation on a set X then every element x of X belongs to a unique equivalence class under E called “the equivalence class of x under E”. Convention provides the “square bracket notation” for denoting such equivalence classes, in either the form [x]_E or the simpler form [x] when the subscript E is understood. A statement that the elements x and y are equivalent under E is called an “equation” or an “equivalence” and may be expressed in any of the following ways. • (x, y) ∈ E • x ∈ [y]_E • y ∈ [x]_E • [x]_E = [y]_E • x =_E y Display 1 https://inquiryintoinquiry.files.wordpress.com/2022/07/ser-2-display-1.png Thus we have the following definitions. • [x]_E = {y ∈ X : (x, y) ∈ E} • x =_E y ⇔ (x, y) ∈ E Display 2 https://inquiryintoinquiry.files.wordpress.com/2022/07/ser-2-display-2.png In the application to sign relations it is useful to extend the square bracket notation in the following ways. If L is a sign relation whose connotative component L_SI is an equivalence relation on S = I, let [s]_L be the equivalence class of s under L_SI. In short, [s]_L = [s]_{L_{SI}}. A statement that the signs x and y belong to the same equivalence class under a semiotic equivalence relation L_SI is called a “semiotic equation” (SEQ) and may be written in either of the following forms. • [x]_L = [y]_L • x =_L y Display 3 https://inquiryintoinquiry.files.wordpress.com/2022/07/ser-2-display-3.png In many situations there is one further adaptation of the square bracket notation for semiotic equivalence classes that can be useful. Namely, when there is known to exist a particular triple (o, s, i) in a sign relation L, it is permissible to let [o]_L be defined as [s]_L. This modifications is designed to make the notation for semiotic equivalence classes harmonize as well as possible with the frequent use of similar devices for the denotations of signs and expressions. Applying the array of equivalence notations to the sign relations for A and B will serve to illustrate their use and utility. Tables 6a and 6b. Connotative Components Con(L_A) and Con(L_B) https://inquiryintoinquiry.files.wordpress.com/2020/06/connotative-components-con-la-con-lb.png The semiotic equivalence relation for interpreter A yields the following semiotic equations. Display 4 https://inquiryintoinquiry.files.wordpress.com/2022/07/ser-2-display-4.png or Display 5 https://inquiryintoinquiry.files.wordpress.com/2022/07/ser-2-display-5.png Thus it induces the semiotic partition: • {{“A”, “i”}, {“B”, “u”}}. Display 6 https://inquiryintoinquiry.files.wordpress.com/2022/07/ser-2-display-6.png The semiotic equivalence relation for interpreter B yields the following semiotic equations. Display 7 https://inquiryintoinquiry.files.wordpress.com/2022/07/ser-2-display-7.png or Display 8 https://inquiryintoinquiry.files.wordpress.com/2022/07/ser-2-display-8.png Thus it induces the semiotic partition: • {{“A”, “u”}, {“B”, “i”}}. Display 9 https://inquiryintoinquiry.files.wordpress.com/2022/07/ser-2-display-9.png Tables 7a and 7b. Semiotic Partitions for Interpreters A and B https://inquiryintoinquiry.files.wordpress.com/2020/06/semiotic-partitions-for-interpreters-a-b.png Regards, Jon
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Lyle Anderson
Obtuse as Jon's exposition of Semiotics may seem to be, it is only a subset of Heim's Syncrometry. Charles Saunders Pierce limits himself to sets and Burkhard Heim covers everything.
For an arbitrary triadic relation L ⊆ O × S × I, whether it happens to be a sign relation or not, there are 6 dyadic relations obtained by projecting L on one of the planes of the OSI-space O × S × I. The 6 dyadic projections of a triadic relation L are defined and notated as shown in Table 2. Table 2. Dyadic Aspects of Triadic Relationshttps://inquiryintoinquiry.files.wordpress.com/2020/06/dyadic-projections-of-triadic-relations.png By way of unpacking the set-theoretic notation, here is what the first definition says in ordinary language. The dyadic relation resulting from the projection of L on the OS-plane O × S is written briefly as L_OS or written more fully as proj_{OS}(L)and is defined as the set of all ordered pairs (o, s) in the cartesian product O × S for which there exists an ordered triple (o, s, i) in L for some element i in the set I. Heim's general schema equation (1): Applies to everything, and therefore includes Semiotics. It should be possible to map CSP's O x S x I to Heim's D x K x P and gain a better understanding of both. Of course, the appearance of a Trinity in both is a consequence of the Laws of Form. Best regards, Lyle
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Cf: Sign Relations • Discussion 11
https://inquiryintoinquiry.com/2022/07/13/sign-relations-discussion-11/ Re: Cybernetics https://groups.google.com/g/cybcom/c/TpRK4fxguD0 ::: Cliff Joslyn https://groups.google.com/g/cybcom/c/TpRK4fxguD0/m/8mh1CC18EQAJ Re: Sign Relations • Definition https://inquiryintoinquiry.com/2022/06/30/sign-relations-definition-2/ <QUOTE CJ:> For a given arbitrary triadic relation L ⊆ O × S × I (let’s say that O, S, and I are all finite, non-empty sets), I’m interested to understand what additional axioms you’re saying are necessary and sufficient to make L a sign relation. I checked Sign Relations • Definition, but it wasn’t obvious, or at least, not formalized. </QUOTE>\ Dear Cliff, Peirce claims a definition of “logic” as “formal semiotic” and goes on to define a “sign” in terms of its relation to its “interpretant sign” and its “object”. For ease of reference, here's the cited paragraph again. <QUOTE CSP:> Logic will here be defined as formal semiotic. A definition of a sign will be given which no more refers to human thought than does the definition of a line as the place which a particle occupies, part by part, during a lapse of time. Namely, a sign is something, A, which brings something, B, its interpretant sign determined or created by it, into the same sort of correspondence with something, C, its object, as that in which itself stands to C. It is from this definition, together with a definition of “formal”, that I deduce mathematically the principles of logic. I also make a historical review of all the definitions and conceptions of logic, and show, not merely that my definition is no novelty, but that my non-psychological conception of logic has virtually been quite generally held, though not generally recognized. (C.S. Peirce, NEM 4, 20–21). </QUOTE> Let me cut to the chase and say what I see in that passage. Peirce draws our attention to a category of mathematical structures of use in understanding various domains of complex phenomena by capturing aspects of objective structure immanent in those domains. The domains of complex phenomena of interest to “logic” in its broadest sense encompass all that appears on the “discourse” side of any universe of discourse we happen to discuss. That's a big enough sky for anyone to live under, but for the moment I am focusing on the ways we transform signs in activities like communication, computation, inquiry, learning, proof, and reasoning in general. I'm especially focused on the ways we do now and may yet use computation to advance the other pursuits on that list. To be continued ... Sorry, Cliff, it took me a week to write that set-up, most of which I spent deleting previous drafts ... I did start out with a pretty direct reply to your question but I kept being forced to back-track into deeper backgrounders to explain why I thought it was an answer. So I'll continue when I rest up ... Regards, Jon Reference * Charles S. Peirce (1902), “Parts of Carnegie Application” (L 75), in Carolyn Eisele (ed., 1976), The New Elements of Mathematics by Charles S. Peirce, vol. 4, 13–73. Online ( https://arisbe.sitehost.iu.edu/menu/library/bycsp/L75/l75.htm ) . Sources * C.S. Peirce • On the Definition of Logic ( https://inquiryintoinquiry.com/2012/06/01/c-s-peirce-on-the-definition-of-logic/ ) * C.S. Peirce • Logic as Semiotic ( https://inquiryintoinquiry.com/2012/06/04/c-s-peirce-logic-as-semiotic/ ) * C.S. Peirce • Objective Logic ( https://inquiryintoinquiry.com/2012/03/09/c-s-peirce-objective-logic/ )
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Cf: Sign Relations • Discussion 12
http://inquiryintoinquiry.com/2022/07/16/sign-relations-discussion-12/ Re: Cybernetics https://groups.google.com/g/cybcom/c/TpRK4fxguD0 ::: Cliff Joslyn https://groups.google.com/g/cybcom/c/TpRK4fxguD0/m/8mh1CC18EQAJ Dear Cliff, From a purely speculative point of view, any triadic relation L ⊆ X×X×X on any set X might be capable of capturing aspects of objective structure immanent in the conduct of logical reasoning. At least I can think of no reason to exclude those possibilities à priori. When we turn to the task of developing computational adjuncts to inquiry there is still no harm in keeping arbitrary triadic relations in mind, as entire hosts of them will turn up on the “universe” side of many universes of discourse we happen to encounter, if nowhere else. Peirce's use of the word “definition” understandably leads us to anticipate a strictly apodictic development, say, along the lines of abstract group theory or axiomatic geometry. In that light I often look to group theory for hints on how to go about tackling a category of triadic relations such as we find in semiotics. The comparison makes for a very rough guide but the contrasts are also instructive. More than that, the history of group theory, springing as it did as yet unnamed from the ground of pressing mathematical problems, from Newton's use of symmetric functions and Galois' application of permutation groups to the theory of equations among other sources, tells us what state of development we might reasonably expect from the current still early days of semiotics. To be continued … Regards, Jon
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Cf: Sign Relations • Discussion 13
https://inquiryintoinquiry.com/2022/07/17/sign-relations-discussion-13/ Re: Cybernetics https://groups.google.com/g/cybcom/c/TpRK4fxguD0 ::: Cliff Joslyn (1) https://groups.google.com/g/cybcom/c/TpRK4fxguD0/m/8mh1CC18EQAJ (2) https://groups.google.com/g/cybcom/c/TpRK4fxguD0/m/a1IhmXFEAQAJ (3) https://groups.google.com/g/cybcom/c/TpRK4fxguD0/m/WXz1R3JEAQAJ Dear Cliff, Backing up a little — Whether a thing qualifies as a sign is not an ontological question, a matter of what it is in itself, but a pragmatic question, a matter of what role it plays in a particular application. By extension, whether a triadic relation qualifies as a sign relation is not just a question of its abstract structure but a question of its potential applications, of its fitness for a particular purpose, namely, whether we can imagine it capturing aspects of objective structure immanent in the conduct of logical reasoning. Because it's difficult, and not even desirable, to place prior limits on “what we can imagine finding a use for”, we probably can't, or shouldn't try, to reduce pragmatic definitions to ontological definitions. That's why I feel bound to leave the boundaries a bit fuzzy. Just to sum up what I've been struggling to say here — It's not a bad idea to cast an oversized net at the outset, and the à priori method can take us a way with that, but developing semiotics beyond its first principles and early stages will depend on gathering more significant examples of sign relations and sign transformations approaching the level we actually employ in the practice of communication, computation, inquiry, learning, proof, and reasoning in general. I think that's probably the best way to see the real sense and utility of Peirce's double definition of logic and signs. Regards, Jon
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Cf: Sign Relations • Discussion 14
https://inquiryintoinquiry.com/2022/07/17/sign-relations-discussion-14/ Re: Cybernetics https://groups.google.com/g/cybcom/c/TpRK4fxguD0 :: Cliff Joslyn https://groups.google.com/g/cybcom/c/TpRK4fxguD0/m/iNl_yoqEAQAJ Dear Cliff, Let me see if I can illustrate the problem of definition with a few examples. First, to clear up one point of notation, in writing L ⊆ O × S × I, there is no assumption on my part the relational domains O, S, I are necessarily disjoint. They may intersect or even be identical, as O = S = I. Of course we rarely need to contemplate limiting cases of that type but I find it useful to keep then in our categorical catalogue. (Other writers will differ on that score.) On the other hand, we very often consider cases where S = I, as in the following two examples of sign relations discussed in a previous post of this series. Sign Relations • Examples https://inquiryintoinquiry.com/2022/07/02/sign-relations-examples-2/ Tables 1a and 1b. Sign Relation Tables L_A and L_B https://inquiryintoinquiry.files.wordpress.com/2020/05/sign-relation-twin-tables-la-lb.png We have the following data. O = {A, B} S = {“A”, “B”, “i”, “u”} I = {“A”, “B”, “i”, “u”} As I mentioned, those examples were deliberately constructed to be as simple as possible but they do exemplify many typical features of sign relations in general. Until the time my advisor asked me for cases of that order I had always contemplated formal languages with countable numbers of signs and never really thought about finite sign relations at all. Regards, Jon
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