#37

Today I have had a writing day, the 37th this Spring, with some 400 words added to our article on Arne Næss and his views on economics.

Official opening of Cognitive lab (UIS) scheduled for May 30th

I have been involved in the planning of the official opening of Cognitive lab at University of Stavanger, which will take place May 30th (4 hour programme). The program for the opening is now online. I will be chairing the seminar.

To discuss free will in animals at "Wonderful world" festival

I have been scheduled to introduce and take part in the panel discussion "Har dyr fri vilje - med hvilke rettigheter?", along with Norun Haugen and Martin Lee Mueller, on June 3rd, as part of the philosophy and science festival "Wonderful world", which is held in Stavanger, Norway June 1st to 4th.

Cognitive lab: Constitutive steering group meeting chaired; not part of new steering group after all

Today I chaired the constitutive steering group meeting for Cognitive and behavioral neuroscience lab (Cognitive lab) at University of Stavanger. The meeting decided to downscale the steering group, from 21 members including deputy representatives to 10, with 7 permanent members and 3 deputy representatives, for 2023-2025. I am not among the members, after all. Kolbjørn Kallesten Brønnick, the former Managing Director, is the new Steering group leader, with Helge Bøvik Larsen re-elected as Deputy leader. Ulrich Dettweiler is the new Managing Director.

I chaired a ad hoc working group coordinating the establishment of the lab (2020-2021), and chaired the Steering group for the first 2 years (2021-2023). Initially, I suggested to establish a cross-faculty Cognitive lab in Spring 2020, which then got the support of Vice-rector for research Merete Vadla Madland.

The Greenhouse Research talk on book "Semiotic agency: Science beyond mechanism" given

Yesterday I gave the Greenhouse Research talk, titled «Semiotic agency – science beyond mechanism» after the book I have co-written with Alexei Sharov. Some 13 people attended.

Speech given at Bachelor in psychology bachelor ceremony

Yesterday I had the pleasure of taking part in the bachelor ceremony for the first batch of students in Bachelor in psychology at university of Stavanger. I gave a speech, after Einar Engebretsen, the former Head of department before me, and before Kolbjørn Kallesten Brønnick, the current Head of department. Some 60 people attended.

#36

Yesterday I had a writing day - the 36th this Spring - with work done on presenting our book Semiotic agency: Science beyond mechanism, and planning for the revision of my article "Wasted GDP in the USA".

Book "Semiotic agency" published in Softcover version

The book Semiotic agency: Science beyond mechanism, written by Alexei Sharov and me, appeared in a Softcover version February 9th, according to the publisher´s book webpage. Strangely, it is not cheaper than the Hardcover version (109,99 EUR). 

To offer The Greenhouse Research talk Wednesday April 26th at UIS

On Wednesday this week, I will offer the weekly Research talk at the The Greenhouse Research talk series, with the topic «Semiotic agency – science beyond mechanism». I will present the book by the same name authored by Alexei Sharov and me. The research talk will take place in HG N-105 at Ullandhaug campus at 14.15-15.30 Wednesday April 26th.

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Abstract:

In this presentation I will present aspects of the book Semiotic agency – science beyond mechanism, which I co-authored with Alexei Sharov (Springer 2021, https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-030-89484-9).  

Semiotic agency – science beyond mechanism invites readers to embark on a journey into the world of agency encompassing humans, other organisms, cells, intracellular molecular agents, colonies, populations, ecological systems, and artificial autonomous systems. We combine mechanistic and non-mechanistic approaches in the analysis of the function and evolution of organisms, their subagents, and multi-organism systems, and in this way offer a theoretical platform for integrating biosemiotics with both natural science and the humanities/social sciences. Agents are autonomous systems that incorporate knowledge on how to make sense of their environment and use it to achieve their goals. The functions of all agents are supported by mechanisms at the lowest level; however, the explanatory power of mechanistic analysis is not sufficient for complex agents. Non-mechanistic methods rely on the goal-directedness of agents whose dynamics follow self-stabilized dynamic attractors. The properties of attractors depend on stable or slowly changing factors, and such dependencies can be interpreted as sign relations if they are adaptive in nature. Agents can replace or redirect mechanisms on demand in order to preserve their functions; for performing higher-level semiotic functions, mechanisms are thus only means. We assume that mechanism and semiosis are not mutually exclusive, and that simple agents can interpret signs mechanistically. This assumption allows us to extend semiotic analysis to all agents, including ribosomes in cells, computers, and robots. This book challenges established traditions in natural science and the humanities/social sciences: semiotics no longer appears as restricted to humans and rational thinking, and biology is no longer limited to rely exclusively on mechanistic reasoning.  

To present on phenomenological triangulation at Cognitive Semiotics Seminar (Lund university) June 1st - possible to follow via Zoom

I have been scheduled to give the presentation "Phenomenological triangulation in the study of humans and animals as subjects of phenomenology – perspectives from cognitive semiotics and biosemiotics" in the Cognitive Semiotics Seminar at Lund university & in Zoom, on June 1st at 3-5 p.m. See this link for abstract and the Zoom link.

I also reiterate the abstract here:

ABSTRACT

In earlier work I have argued that a genuine ´Uexküllian phenomenology´ can be derived from the Umwelt theory of Jacob von Uexküll, and that such a phenomenology is capable of accounting for the subjective experience of both human and animal subjects of the phenomenal world at large. With its foundation in contemporary biosemiotics, such a modern, empirically informed phenomenology is particularly relevant for the study of human-animal relations and interaction in societal and ecological settings.  

Cognitive semiotics professor Jordan Zlatev has proposed some interesting methodological principles for the transdisciplinary science of cognitive semiotics. This includes a “conceptual-empirical loop” with a research process involving a combination of theoretical and empirical work, and “phenomenological triangulation” involving combined use of 1st person perspective, 2nd person perspective and 3rd person perspective studies of one and the same topic of study. I will provide some comments and reflections on Zlatev´s methodological principles, and also discuss to what extent something similar could be applied within the context of biosemiotics, with the aim of integrating biosemiotics and phenomenology further.

Interviewed for Hortus Semioticus blog

This evening I was interviewed, along with Professor of design and designer Martín Avíla, by Thorolf J. van Walsum for the blog of University of Tartu´s Department of Semiotics´ student journal Hortus Semioticus.

Keynote speech on Umwelt theory given at Tartu conference "Contemporary Umwelt Analysis: Applications for Culture and Ecological Relations"

Today I have given my keynote speech "A Comprehensive Framework for Studies of Changing Umwelten" at the conference Contemporary Umwelt Analysis: Applications for Culture and Ecological Relations, which has been held yesterday and today in Tartu, Estonia, at Estonian Naturalists´ Society, organized by the University of Tartu´s Department of semiotics. Some 30 people attended. The speech was also streamed live via Zoom.

External opponent at ph.d. midway evaluation, Norwegian School of Sport Sciences

Today I have been external opponent at the midway evaluation of the ph.d. work of Margrethe Voll Storaas, at the Norwegian School of Sport Sciences, in Oslo. Kirsti Pedersen Gurholt served as internal opponent. Some 17 people attended.

#35

Today I have had a writing day, the 35th this Spring, with some 100 words added to our article on Arne Næss and his views on economics. I have also retrieved some information with regard to the revision of my article "Wasted GDP in the USA".

Feedback given on ca. 34 preliminary exam papers

This week I have given feedback to 34 or so students on an ethics exam task in the course "Lovgivning og etikk" (BPS330), as part of the folder exam (mappeeksamen) in the course.

Call for papers: "Umwelt theory and phenomenology" - special issue of Biosemiotics

I will be guest-editing a special issue of Biosemiotics on "Umwelt theory and phenomenology" along with Carlo Brentari. See the Call for Papers here. Abstracts are due June 15th.

#34

Today I have had an article day, #34 this Spring, with some 150 words added to our article on Arne Næss and his views on economics.

"The HDI´s maximum limit for income is unfounded" rejected by Atlantic Economic Journal

My article "The HDI´s maximum limit for income is unfounded" has been rejected by Atlantic Economic Journal.

#33

Today I have completed revising my article "The study of past Umwelten", with some 800 words added to the text, on this Spring´s writing day #33.