Fluid Biosemiotic Mechanisms Underlie Subconscious Habits

Alexander, Victoria N.; Grimes, Valerie

doi:10.1007/s12304-017-9298-3

Cited by 7 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 43 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Moreover, such a process repeated many times over in short spaces of time, along with a capacity for memory, becomes pattern recognition via a process of self-organisation. This ultimately results in emergent phenomenon, as is described by Alexander and Grimes (2017) in their paper about fluid biosemiotic mechanisms. Indeed, it is also the case that varying degrees of complexity can be found amongst bacterial species, with those inhabiting more than one ecological habitat having five times as many chemoreceptor genetic codes than those occupying single habitat niches.…”

Section: Microorganismsmentioning

confidence: 95%

Chemiosemiosis and Complex Patterned Signals: A Chemosemiotic Hypothesis of Language Evolution

Lewis

2021

Linguistic Frontiers

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Olfaction, as a semiotic modality, receives relatively less attention than other sensory modalities. However, chemiosemiosis and semiochemicals are fundamental components of zoosemiosis, occurring across animal taxonomic groups. Indeed, olfaction is thought to be one of the most ancient sensory modalities from an evolutionary perspective and significantly, even unicellular organisms, such as the bacterium Escherichia coli, utilize a form of chemiosemiosis when foraging for nutrients, as part of a process known as ‘chemotaxis’. Further, many taxonomic groups have evolved to produce dedicated ‘semiochemicals’ (often known as pheromones or allomones) which have the sole purpose of being diffused into the environment as a social signal. In this paper, I highlight the importance of Umwelt theory when studying animal communication, by reviewing the less conspicuous and intuitive chemiosemiotic modality, across animal taxa. I then go on to discuss chemiosemiosis within a linguistic framework and argue that complex pattern recognition underpins linguistic theory. Thus, I explore the concept that chemiosemiosis has features in common with language, when the factor of time, in the transmission and decoding of a signal, is taken into account. Moreover, I provide discursive evidence in support of a unified theory of sensory perception, based on structural and functional aspects of signal transmission and cognitive complex pattern recognition. I conclude by proposing a chemosemiotic hypothesis of language evolution.

show abstract

Section: Microorganismsmentioning

confidence: 95%

Chemiosemiosis and Complex Patterned Signals: A Chemosemiotic Hypothesis of Language Evolution

Lewis

2021

Linguistic Frontiers

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…A source of unpredictability in human logic and language use, this poetic type of sign action in and among neuron cells dominates subconscious processes. Subjects under hypnosis experience cross-modal perception-they begin to hear colors, for example-which indicates that when conscious perception is bypassed, the poetic workings of the subconscious are more observable (Alexander and Grimes 2017). People with synesthesia are better able to recall arbitrary facts because numbers or letters can be associated with unique colors, textures and shapes (Harvey 2013).…”

Section: Ai Compared To Bimentioning

confidence: 99%

AI, Stereotyping on Steroids and Alan Turing's Biological Turn

Alexander¹

2019

The Democratization of Artificial Intelligence

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

“…Although poets use figures of speech and other rhetorical devices self‐consciously and deliberately, their effects are rendered in the audience at the subconscious level. Biosemiotics has been useful in articulating the processes whereby, in humans, subconscious meanings are created and reinforced in the brain as the semiosic flow of similar and proximate information (Alexander & Grimes, 2017). Such self‐organisation does not necessarily flow in an obviously logical manner, and it does not require repeated reinforcement to be learned.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Lower‐level semiosic flexibility in a group of cells, for instance, would enable a more naturally robust and efficient emergent behavioural pattern than would precisely correct local interactions (Alexander, 2018; Alexander & Grimes, 2017). As individuals interact with neighbours, they are subjected to similar situations and are likely to make similar generalisations and associations with regard to their own internal signal pathways.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The creativity of cells: aneural irrational cognition

Alexander

2023

The Journal of Physiology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Evidence of cognition in aneural cells is well‐establish in the literature. This paper extends the exploration of the mechanisms of cognition by considering whether or not aneural cells may be capable of irrational cognition, making associations based on coincidental similarities and circumstantial factors. If aneural cells do harness such semiosic qualities, as with higher‐level creativity, this might be how they are able to overcome old algorithms and invent tools for new situations. I will look at three examples of irrational learning in aneural systems in terms of semiotics: (1) generalisation in the immune system, based on viral molecular mimicry, whereby immune cells attack the self, which seems to be an overgeneralisation of an icon sign based on mere similarity, not identity, (2) the classical conditioning of pea plants to trope toward wind as a sign of light, which seems to be an association of an index sign based on mere temporal proximity, and (3) a pharmaceutical intervention to prevent pregnancy, using a conjugate to encrypt self with non‐self, which seems to be an example of symbol use. We identify irrational cognition easily when it leads to ‘wrong’ outcomes, but, if it occurs, it may also lead to favourable outcomes and ‘creative’ solutions. image

show abstract

Fluid Biosemiotic Mechanisms Underlie Subconscious Habits

Cited by 7 publications

References 43 publications

Chemiosemiosis and Complex Patterned Signals: A Chemosemiotic Hypothesis of Language Evolution

Chemiosemiosis and Complex Patterned Signals: A Chemosemiotic Hypothesis of Language Evolution

AI, Stereotyping on Steroids and Alan Turing's Biological Turn

The creativity of cells: aneural irrational cognition

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About