Gordana has raised the problem of logic in relation to biological
information. With a nod to Spencer-Brown's logic of indications, I note
that biological logic can be neatly seen in the development of embryos,
where we begin with a whole, which is divided; then these two are divided,
and so on. This is the logical process of information refinement. In the
embryo this process is tied to the fact that different regions of the ovum
have been differentiated by secretory activities in the ovary so that they
possess different chemical morphogens. The result of the divisions, then,
is to deploy different cells into different morphogen regions, where their
genetic systems will be engaged by different morphogen mixes. So, we get,
e.g., {ovum -> {animal pole cell -> {ectoderm cell -> {skin cell ->
{sebaceous gland cell}}}}}. This process can be described in general as
one of going from relative vagueness to increasingly more definite
embodiment. This 'logic' is characteristic of activities in the nervous
system as well, where it often proceeds in reverse as well, in a process of
generalizing.
STAN
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Received on Thu Nov 17 21:22:17 2005
