Meaning = Life (+ Culture): An outline of a unified biocultural theory of meaning
(2002) In Evolution of Communication 4(2). p.253-296- Abstract
- The article presents the outlines of an integrative theory of meaning based on the concept of value, understood both as a biological and as a socio-cultural category, synthesizing ideas from evolutionary and developmental psychology, semiotics and cybernetics. The proposal distinguishes between four types of meaning systems, cue-based, associational, mimetic and symbolic, forming an evolutionary and epigenetic hierarchy. The theory is applied to phylogenetic and human ontogenetic development, pointing out significant parallels between the two processes, involving both continuity and discontinuity between the different levels. Since one of the basic tenets of the theory is that only living systems have intrinsic value, which is a necessary... (More)
- The article presents the outlines of an integrative theory of meaning based on the concept of value, understood both as a biological and as a socio-cultural category, synthesizing ideas from evolutionary and developmental psychology, semiotics and cybernetics. The proposal distinguishes between four types of meaning systems, cue-based, associational, mimetic and symbolic, forming an evolutionary and epigenetic hierarchy. The theory is applied to phylogenetic and human ontogenetic development, pointing out significant parallels between the two processes, involving both continuity and discontinuity between the different levels. Since one of the basic tenets of the theory is that only living systems have intrinsic value, which is a necessary and sufficient condition for possessing the category meaning, negative implications are drawn for the meaning potential of (current) artificial systems. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
https://lup.lub.lu.se/record/123718
- author
- Zlatev, Jordan LU
- organization
- publishing date
- 2002
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- language, epigenesis, meaning, mimesis, robots, signs, conventions, value
- in
- Evolution of Communication
- volume
- 4
- issue
- 2
- pages
- 253 - 296
- publisher
- John Benjamins Publishing Company
- ISSN
- 1569-9757
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- 967f6797-a7d9-4ebf-ac3b-e0e09a13c577 (old id 123718)
- date added to LUP
- 2016-04-01 15:51:10
- date last changed
- 2018-11-21 20:36:51
@article{967f6797-a7d9-4ebf-ac3b-e0e09a13c577, abstract = {{The article presents the outlines of an integrative theory of meaning based on the concept of value, understood both as a biological and as a socio-cultural category, synthesizing ideas from evolutionary and developmental psychology, semiotics and cybernetics. The proposal distinguishes between four types of meaning systems, cue-based, associational, mimetic and symbolic, forming an evolutionary and epigenetic hierarchy. The theory is applied to phylogenetic and human ontogenetic development, pointing out significant parallels between the two processes, involving both continuity and discontinuity between the different levels. Since one of the basic tenets of the theory is that only living systems have intrinsic value, which is a necessary and sufficient condition for possessing the category meaning, negative implications are drawn for the meaning potential of (current) artificial systems.}}, author = {{Zlatev, Jordan}}, issn = {{1569-9757}}, keywords = {{language; epigenesis; meaning; mimesis; robots; signs; conventions; value}}, language = {{eng}}, number = {{2}}, pages = {{253--296}}, publisher = {{John Benjamins Publishing Company}}, series = {{Evolution of Communication}}, title = {{Meaning = Life (+ Culture): An outline of a unified biocultural theory of meaning}}, volume = {{4}}, year = {{2002}}, }