Dear Brier:
I agree with your observation:
> on the relation
> between perceptual action and the concept of information in nature. In
> my opinion this is where cybernetic consideration meet with semiotics
> around the process of signification.
I also think that Werner's notions of free and bound information provide
a nice framework for the analysis. One consequence of dealing with various
levels of organization seems to be the need to consider couplings of free
and bound information probably nested at those levels.
Thanks for the invitation to the cybernetics conference. I will certainly
try to participate.
Regards
Roberto
On Wed, 4 Feb 1998, [iso-8859-1] Brier S�ren wrote:
> Dear Roberto and Werner
>
> Thank you for your very interesting deliberations on the relation
> between perceptual action and the concept of information in nature. In
> my opinion this is where cybernetic consideration meet with semiotics
> around the process of signification. I am chairing a session on this
> topic at the cybernetic conference in Namur 24-28 august this year and
> have especially made space for this kind of FIS-discussion. So I would
> like to invite you and all other FIS-researchers interested in this
> topic to participate. Allow me therefore to post the call for papers
> below:
>
>
> I apologize for possible cross-postings. Please post and distribute!
>
> CALL FOR PAPERS
> Symposium on Cybernetics and Semiotics
> How can they supplement each other in the life-, information- and social
> sciences?
> as part of
> The International Association for Cybernetics conference in Namur 24 to
> 28 August 1998
>
> Assoc. Prof., Ph.D. S�ren Brier, Royal School of Librarianship, Aalborg
> Branch, Langagervej 4, 9220 Aalborg �st, Denmark. Tel:+4598157922.
> Fax:+4598151042. E-mail:sbr@db.dk. Homepage:
> www.db.dk/dbaa/sbr/home_uk.htm.
>
> Cybernetics - especially in the form of second order cybernetics and
> autopoiesis theory - has become more and more important in the
> understanding of the cognition of living and social systems focusing on
> the importance of information and communication within and between these
> systems. The theories of von Foerster, Maturana & Varela and Luhmann has
> made an important impact here. Recently a socio-cybernetic group has
> been formed under the International Sociological association organised
> by Felix Geyer.
>
> For some years now the FIS (foundations of information science) group
> has been active discussing the proper foundation for a transdisciplinary
> information science But both within the life sciences and especially
> within the electronic applications of communication and information
> sciences in AI and Cognitive Science there has been fundamental
> problems in dealing with the semantic level when pure scientific
> approaches are pursued. As the present computer programs are based on
> logically and algorithmically functions the models become purely
> functionalistic or even mechanistic in great part of IA , cognitive
> science and even in biological based approaches. They thereby seems to
> be unable to simulate very basic aspect of life and mind such as the -
> maybe unique - human/animal capacity for producing and experiencing
> signification.
>
> In semiotics - especially the semiotics based on Peirce's triadic,
> evolutionary and pragmatic philosophy - signification is a basic concept
> in the understanding of cognition and communication. To overcome some
> of the foundational problems in the mechanistic biology a Biosemiotic
> special interest group has been formed and accepted within the Int.
> Association for Semiotic Studies. In the book "Signs of Meaning in the
> Universe" (Indiana University Press) Jesper Hoffmeyer lay down the
> fundament for a scientific understanding of living system based on
> signification as complementary to the mechanistic approach. But
> important papers has also been published in "The Semiotic Web" by
> Emmeche and Hoffmeyer and in "Cybernetics & Human Knowing" vol. 1, no.
> 2/3 (Brier) and vol. 3, no. 1 (Hoffmeyer and Brier) and a new thematic
> issue is forthcoming vol. 5, no. 1. The journal Semiotica is in the
> process of producing a special issue on biosemiotics.
>
> In LIS (Library and Information Science) and MIS (Management Information
> Systems) semiotics is gaining foothold within this decade as the
> pragmatic meaning of concepts and documents is the central factor for
> their successful retrieval from any system - including the Internet. All
> users has a specific background (in hermeneutics Gadamar speaks of
> 'horizon') and interest (Wittgenstein used the concept 'language game'
> in his philosophy). No search algorithm or system of automated indexing
> has so far been able to treat this semantic factor as the meaning of
> concepts is very much determined from pragmatic contexts of life and
> culture. D.C. Blair has in 1990 written the groundbreaking book "
> Language and Representation in Information Retrieval" (Elsevier Science
> Publishers, New York) where he combine Peirce's semiotics and
> Wittgensteins language game theory in document retrieval theory and
> Liebenau, J. & Backhouse, J. has in 1990 published the small but
> paradigmatic important book " Understanding Information : An
> introduction" (MacMillan, London) introducing a semiotic pragmatic
> approach in management information systems. Brier has published an
> integrative approach: "Cybersemiotics: A new interdisciplinary
> development applied to the problems of knowledge organisation and
> document retrieval in information science" , Journal of Documentation,
> Vol. 52, no. 3, September 1996, pp.296-344.
>
> The symposium call for papers proposing ways of using the knowledge of
> self-organisation in systems that cybernetics give us with the pragmatic
> view of meaning in semiotics and language philosophy to come to a
> better understanding of living and social system's handling of
> information and communication. Some outcomes could be: Better
> understanding of the special qualities of the living and its cognitive
> abilities versus the computer, better understanding of the phenomenon of
> consciousness, better understanding of the function of signification and
> communication in social systems and a better understanding of
> man-machine interactions and therefore better ways to integrate machine
> capabilities to support human knowledge and action for instance in the
> field of document retrieval.
>
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>
>
> SUBMISSION OF PAPERS
>
> Prospective contributors are invited to submit a 1-page (about 2K)
> abstract (preferably including references), along with the author's
> name, postal and email address and affiliations. The submission should
> be sent by email to the symposium chair S�ren Brier. sbr@db.dk.
> The deadline for receiving submissions is March 10, 1998.
>
> The proposals will be refereed by the journal's review board. You
> will be notified about the acceptance (or rejection) of your proposal
> as soon as possible, but not later than March 31, 1998. If accepted,
> the full text of the paper, which must not exceed 6 typed,
> single-spaced pages, is to be sent by postal mail to the congress
> secretariat before May 31, 1998.
>
> All papers that are personally presented by the author at the
> congress will be published in the congress Proceedings. The authors of
> the best papers will be invited to publish an extended version in the
> journal Cybernetics & Human Knowing: A Journal of Second Order
> Cybernetics and Cybersemiotics, homepage:
> http://www.db.dk/dbaa/sbr/cyber.htm
>
> If you wish you can submit a maximum of two papers in different
> symposia of the congress. Submissions for other symposia should be
> sent directly to the congress secretariat before February 31
> (originally January 31), 1998.
>
>
>
> ABOUT THE CONGRESS
>
> The 15th International Congress on Cybernetics will be held from
> August 24 to 28, 1998, in Namur (Belgium) at the Institute for
> Computer Sciences of the University of Namur. The International
> Congresses on Cybernetics are organised triennially (since 1956) by
> the International Association for Cybernetics (IAC). The
> interdisciplinary domain of cybernetics, addresses subjects such
> as information, communication, organisation, intelligence, complex
> systems, and feedback loops.
>
> Namur is a quiet little city on the confluence of the Meuse and
> Sambre rivers, at the foot of a hill supporting impressive medieval
> fortifications. Its charming old streets offer plenty of restaurants
> and cafes. It is situated at an hour's drive by car or train from
> Brussels, the capital of Belgium and of the European Union, at the
> border of the beautiful forested region of the Ardennes.
>
> The congress atmosphere is relaxed and informal, with several
> symposia going on in parallel in adjacent rooms. Lunches can be taken
> at the university restaurant, in the restored mediaeval Arsenal. The
> congress normally includes a congress dinner, an excursion, and a
> meeting room for coffee breaks. Participants are responsible for
> making their own hotel reservations, but good quality and inexpensive
> accomodation in students' rooms will be available. A list of hotels
> will be forwarded on request.
>
> The official languages of the Congress are English and French .
>
>
> OTHER SYMPOSIA (PRELIMINARY PROGRAM)
>
> Chairpersons/Topics
>
> - ANDONIAN Greg (Canada)
> Architectural Computing and Networking : Perspectives on Hi-Tech
> and Globalisation
>
> - ANDREEWSKY Evelyne (France)
> NICOLLE Anne (France)
> Dcision et Langage - la dialectique du savoir et du dire -
> Decision and Language; the Dialectic of Knowledge and Saying
>
> - BARANDOVSKA-FRANK Vera (Germany)
> Contributions de l'interlinguistique la cyberntique de la
> communication humaine - Contributions of Interlinguistics to
> Human
> Communication Cybernetics
>
> - BETTA Jan (Poland)
> Gnie des systmes industriels : un champ nouveau d'applications
> de l'approche systmique - Engineering of Industrial Systems : a
> new Field
> of Applied Systemic Approach
>
> - BOUCHON-MEUNIER Bernadette (France)
> Fouille de donnes - Data Mining
>
> - BOYD Gary (Canada)
> ZEMAN Vladimir (Canada)
> The Cybernetics of Rational and Liberative Education
>
> Mario Vaneechoutte
> Symposium on Memetics : Evolutionary Models of information
> transmission
>
> - CARON Armand (France)
> Les rseaux neuronaux, l'acquisition des connaissances et leurs
> traitements - Neural Networks, Knowledge acquisition and
> processing
>
> - DUBOIS Daniel (Belgium)
> General Methods for Systems Modeling and Control
> FOMICHOV Vladimir (Russia)
> Artificial Intelligence, Cognitive Science and Philosophy for
> Social Progress
>
> - FRANK Helmar (Germany)
> Les media dits "modernes" en communication scientifique et
> didactique - So-called "Modern" Media in Scientific and Didactic
> Communication
>
> - HAZA-VANDENPEEREBOOM (USA)
> The Development of Artificial Entities: An Interdisciplinary
> Approach toward the Understanding of Self Contained Systems
>
> - JDANKO Alexis (Israel)
> Essence and History of Cybernetics
>
> - JEAN Roger (Canada)
> Biomathmatique et/ou biologie thorique - Biomathematics and/or
> Theoretical Biology
>
> - LASKER George (Canada)
> Synergistic Effects of Local and Global Developments on our
> Lives and on our Future
>
> - MURPHY Dennis (Canada)
> NARANJO Michel (France)
> L'image travers les rseaux et l'ducation la citoyennet - The
> Image through Networks and Education to Citizenship
>
> - NUNEZ E.A. (France)
> Functional Analogies between Biological, Social and
> Technological Domains
>
> POLAKOVA Eva (Slovak Republik)
> Prospects and possibilities of objective international studies
> of border disciplines in respect to anthropocybernetics
>
> - SCHWARZ Eric (Switzerland)
> Holistic Aspects of Systems Science
>
> - STEG Doreen (USA)
> Communication, Control and Organization in Complex Systems
>
> - WARBURTON Brian (U.K.)
> Information, Context, and Meaning
>
> ___________________________________________________________________
>
> REGISTRATION FEES
>
> The registration fee covers participation in the Congress, the
> preparatory
> documents, a reception, the coffee-breaks and the Proceedings for the
> authors.
>
> Before April 30, 1998 / After April 30, 1998
>
> 11 000 BEF 14 000 BEF
>
> Special conditions for young researchers under 30 years (on presentation
> of
> a certificate issued by their university) (does not include the
> Proceedings)
> 4 000 BEF 5 000 BEF
>
> (1$ = about 37 BEF - Belgian Franc)
>
> Payment can be made as follows :
> * to bank account nr 250-0077851-45 with the Generale de Banque
> * to giro account nr 000-0045356-57
> * by cheque or international money order
> made out to : Association Internationale de Cybernetique, Palais des
> Expositions, B-5000 Namur (Belgium).
>
> ___________________________________________________________________
>
>
> For registration, or further information about the congress,
> contact the congress secretariat, using the application form below:
>
> International Association for Cybernetics
> Palais des Expositions, avenue Sergent Vrithoff 2
> B-5000 Namur, Belgium
> Phone +32-81-71 71 71
> Fax +32-81-71 71 00
> Email Cyb@info.fundp.ac.be
>
>
> ____________________________________________________________________
> Application Form
>
> 15th Int. Congress on Cybernetics (Namur, 24-28 August, 1998)
>
> Name : .......................................................
> First name :..................................................
> Profession and titles:........................................
> Institution: .................................................
> ..............................................................
> Address : ....................................................
> ..............................................................
> ..............................................................
> Phone : ....................................................
> Fax:..........................................................
> E-mail :......................................................
>
> o I would like to receive more information about the Congress
> o I would like to attend the Congress
> o I intend to present a paper to the following symposium :
> ..............................................................
> ..............................................................
> Title of Paper :.............................................
> ..............................................................
>
> Date : Signature:
>
>
> ___________________________________________________________________
>
>
> Venlig hilsen/Best wishes
>
> S�ren Brier
>
> Assoc. prof. Royal School of Librarianship, Aalborg Branch
> Langagervej 4, DK-9220 Aalborg �st. Denmark.
> Telephone: +45 98157922 Fax: +4598151042
> Homepage. http://www.db.dk/dbaa/sbr/home_uk.htm
> Ed. & Publ. of Cybernetics & Human Knowing
> Homepage: http://www.db.dk/dbaa/sbr/cyber.htm
>
> > ----------
> > Fra: roberto kampfner[SMTP:rrk@umdsun2.umd.umich.edu]
> > Sendt: 3. februar 1998 02.10
> > Til: Multiple recipients of list
> > Emne: FIS discussion.
> >
> >
> >
> > Dear Colleagues:
> >
> > (I am sending this message again because the former one seems to have
> > been corrupted, thanks.)
> >
> > The issues raised by Koichiro on Information and Physics are indeed
> > very
> > suggestive. I am trying to pursue the view that information is that
> > which
> > makes it possible for any process or agent to act in correlation with
> > its
> > environment, that is, to function. This evokes Weizsacker's motto,
> > referred to earlier in the conference, which says that "information is
> > that which produces information."
> >
> > I find the view of information as something necessary for a process
> > to be
> > possible compatible with Soren's point in relation to the measurement
> > problem in quantum mechanics, that information is "out there" as
> > potentiality, manifested only by measurement.
> >
> > Werner's points seem to me very solid. However, the view of
> > information
> > as providing a potential ability to act in coordination with the
> > environment, which in my opinion makes information processing an
> > integral
> > part of the dynamics of the processes using the information, raises
> > some
> > issues that I think are worth exploring. One of them, in my opinion,
> > is
> > that this view makes Werner's distinction between free and bound
> > information more difficult to discern, especially in the context of
> > biochemical and physiological processes. I think it is also relevant
> > to
> > the problem stated by Jerry of how ot define teh interrelationships
> > between structures of different degrees of organization.
> >
> > Regards,
> >
> > Roberto
> >
>
Received on Fri Feb 6 20:10:29 1998
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