No contribution to Sofia proceedings (Introducing biosemiotic ethics)

Due to tough priorities before and after Christmas (with one full week of family holiday, Insh Allah), I have decided not to submit an article to the proceedings for the 12th World congress of semiotics (Sofia September 16-19th 2014) (see previous posts). My talk was entitled "Introducing biosemiotic ethics".

Group picture from 12th world congress of semiotics

Here's the group picture from the 12th world congress of semiotics (New Bulgarian University - Sofia, Bulgaria, September 16-20th 2014) (follow the first link for a zoomable version).  I'm at the back to the left.

Roundtable discussion "Perspectives in biosemiotics" held in Sofia

On Friday September 19th I co-chaired the roundtable discussion "Perspectives on biosemiotics" at the 12th world congress of semiotics (Sofia, Bulgaria, September 16-20), with Timo Maran and Kalevi Kull. Each of us gave brief introductory remarks, which were followed by general discussion. Some 15 people were present. The roundtable followed and summarised papers presented in the sessions "New trends in bio-/zoo-/ecosemiotics" (convened by Timo, Kalevi and Frederik Stjernfelt) and "Biosemiotic ethics" (cf. programme) earlier the same day.

Session "Biosemiotic ethics" held in Sofia

On Friday September 19th I chaired the session "Biosemiotic ethics" at the 12th world congress of semiotics (Sofia, Bulgaria, September 16-20), which featured a paper by me, one by John Deely and one by Panagiotis Xouplidis (cf. programme). Up to 20-something people were present.

"Introducing biosemiotic ethics" presented in Sofia

On Friday September 19th I presented my paper "Introducing biosemiotic ethics" at the 12th world congress of semiotics (Sofia, Bulgaria, September 16-20), in the session "Biosemiotic ethics". Some 20 people were present.

Printed program for 12th world congress of semiotics

Here at the ongoing 12th world congress of semiotics, at New Bulgarian University, Sofia, I have received the printed program of the congress. The printed program incudes not only the session Biosemiotic ethics and my talk there "Introducing biosemiotic ethics", but furthermore the roundtable "Perspectives in biosemiotics", which is to be chaired by Timo Maran, Kalevi Kull and myself. All taking place tomorrow.

Roundtable discussion "Perspectives in biosemiotics" to be held in Sofia

At the upcoming 12th world congress of semiotics (Sofia, Bulgaria, September 16-20), a roundtable discussion titled "Perspectives in biosemiotics" has been scheduled on Friday September 19th from 6 pm. to 7 pm. The roundtable, which aims to sum up and discuss papers presented in the sessions "New trends in bio-/zoo-/ecosemiotics" and "Biosemiotic ethics", held the same day, will be chaired by Timo Maran, Kalevi Kull and me. Cf. the updated detailed program for the congress.

Program for "Biosemiotic ethics" session slightly changed

The program for the session "Biosemiotic ethics" (see previous posts), which will take place Friday September 19th at the upcoming 12th world congress of semiotics (Sofia, Bulgaria, September 16-20), has been slightly changes. All three presentations will start 30 minutes later than previously scheduled - see updated program. The session will take place at 4-6 pm. Also, the program now makes clear that the "Biosemiotic ethics" session is not merged with "New trends in bio-/eco-/zoosemiotics" (chairs: Timo Maran, Kalevi Kull and Frederik Stjernfelt), although it takes place straight after it in the same room.

My presentation "Introducing biosemiotic ethics" will take place at 16.00-16.30.

Program change for Biosemiotic ethics session (Sofia)

Darian Meacham will not attend the 12th world congress of semiotics (Sofia, Bulgaria, September 16-20 2014) after all, due to conflicting obligations (see updated preliminary program). The Biosemiotic ethics session will therefore end at 17.00 on September 19th, with Panagiotis Xouplidis' paper moving forward to 16.30-17.00.

See also:

Biosemiotic ethics session, introductory presentation scheduled at 12th World Congress of Semiotics

Biosemiotic ethics session, introductory presentation scheduled at 12th World Congress of Semiotics

A detailed program for the upcoming 12th World Congress of Semiotics (Sofia, Bulgaria, September 16-20 2014) has been released - see here. The session I have initiated, "Biosemiotic ethics", has been scheduled for September 19th at 15.30-18.00 (including coffee break), following "New trends in bio/eco/zoosemiotics" the same day from 09.30 to 15.30 (including coffee break and lunch). Within this time frame my paper "Introducing biosemiotic ethics" has been scheduled for presentation at 15.30 to 16.00.

Other papers in the Biosemiotic ethics session:

16.00-16.30: John Deely: "Ethics and the distinction between semiosic and semiotic"

16.30-17.00: Darian Meacham: "The gentle caress of my robot lover"

17.30-18.00: Panagiotis Xouplidis: "A semiotic approach to the pet world"

Including the eight papers in the "New trends in bio/eco/zoosemiotics" session, chaired by Timo Maran, Kalevi Kull and Frederik Stjernfelt, this implies that a total of 12 papers will be presented in the joint session "New trends in bio/eco/zoosemiotics & Biosemiotic ethics". 

All abstracts for "Biosemiotic ethics" session in Sofia now online

All abstracts for the session "Biosemiotic ethics", scheduled for September 19th at the 12th World Congress of Semiotics (Sofia, Bulgaria, September 16-20 2014) are now available online. The latest additions online are my "Introducing biosemiotic ethics" and Darian Meacham's "The gentle caress of my robot lover, and other ethically difficult phenomena" (which was the first abstract to be accepted for this session).

Final deadline for Sofia paper proposals August 15th

The ordinary deadline for abstract submissions to the 12th World Congress of Semiotics (Sofia, Bulgaria September 16-20) was June 30th and has thus passed. However, until August 15th it is still possible to submit abstracts (including to my session "Biosemiotic ethics", scheduled for September 19th), though placement in the desired session can no more be guaranteed.

Abstract for 12th world congress of semiotics: "Introducing biosemiotic ethics"

A couple of days ago I composed and submitted my abstract "Introducing biosemiotic ethics" to the session "Biosemiotic ethics", which is to be held Friday September 19th at the 12th World Congress of Semiotics (Sofia, Bulgaria, September 16-20). See below.

Introducing biosemiotic ethics 

Morten Tønnessen, Associate professor in philosophy at University of Stavanger, Norway  

In this paper, which sets the scene for the session “Biosemiotic ethics”, I start out by outlining various contributions to biosemiotic ethics (Hoffmeyer 1993, Kull 2001, Tønnessen 2003, Beever 2011, Beever and Tønnessen 2013, Acampora 2014, Tønnessen and Beever, forthcoming), and also refer briefly to semioethics and existential semiotics. 

Next I ask: How does biosemiotic ethics differ from other approaches within normative ethics? Relatedly: How have contributions to biosemiotic ethics drawn on other approaches in normative ethics? In this second section of the paper I will particularly relate to Bentham 1823 and Singer 2002 [1975], and ask: In what ways does a biosemiotic ethics potentially take us beyond sentience-centered approaches? Does biosemiotic ethics represent a new form of consequentialism, or should it be placed within some other tradition? 

In the third and concluding section of the paper, I raise a number of questions which should be investigated in the future development of biosemiotic ethics, namely: What ramifications do different views on the semiotic threshold have within the context of normative ethics? Is there (something akin to) normativity in the very constitution of the Umwelt? Does the semiosphere at large (qua biosphere) have intrinsic value? And what, in terms of biosemiosis, is the origin of value?  

Acknowledgement: This work has been carried out thanks to the support of the research project “Animals in Changing Environments: Cultural Mediation and Semiotic Analysis” (EEA Norway Grants/Norway Financial Mechanism 2009–2014 under project contract no. EMP151). 

References 

Acampora, Ralph R. 2014. The (proto-)ethical significance of semiosis: When and how does one become somebody who matters? In Kadri Tüür and Morten Tønnessen (eds) 2014: The Semiotics of Animal Representations (Amsterdam/New York: Rodopi), 343–362.
Beever, Jonathan 2011. Meaning matters: The biosemiotic basis of bioethics. Biosemiotics 5(2): 181–191.
Beever, Jonathan and Morten Tønnessen 2013. “Darwin und die englische Moral”: The moral consequences of Uexküll’s Umwelt theory. Biosemiotics 6(3): 437–447.
Bentham, Jeremy 1823. An Introduction to the Principles of Morals and Legislation (2^nd edition).
Hoffmeyer, Jesper 1993. Biosemiotics and ethics. In Nina Witoszek and Elisabeth Gulbrandsen (eds) 1993: Culture and Environment: Interdisciplinary Approaches (Oslo: Centre for Development and the Environment), 152–176.Kull, Kalevi 2001. Biosemiotics and the problem of intrinsic value of nature. Sign Systems Studies 29(1): 353–365.Singer, Peter 2002 [1975]. Animal Liberation. New York: Random House, Inc.Tønnessen, Morten 2003. Umwelt ethics. Sign Systems Studies 31 (1): 281–299.
Tønnessen, Morten and Jonathan Beever, forthcoming (2015). Beyond sentience: Biosemiotics as foundation for animal and environmental ethics. In John Hadley and Elisa Aaltola (eds): Animal ethics and Philosophy: Questioning the Orthodoxy (Rowman & Littlefield Publishers).

Two Biosemiotic ethics abstracts published on conference webpage

Two abstracts submitted to my session at the 12th World Congress of Semiotics (Sofia, Bulgaria, September 16-20 2014), "Biosemiotic ethics", have now been published on the session webpage:

* John Deely: "Ethics and the distinction between Semiosic and Semiotic"

* Panagiotis Xouplidis: "A semiotic approach to The Pet World"

The first abstract to be approved for this session was David Meacham's "The gentle caress of my robot lover, and other ethically difficult phenomena" (see below).

Deadline for submissions (directly to me) is June 30th.

***

The gentle caress of my robot lover, and other ethically difficult phenomena

Dr. Darian Meacham, University of the West of England, Bristol

 

Imagine for a moment coming home after a long day at work and slumping into the gentle arms of your robot companion, who rubs your temples tenderly, smiles warmly and says, ‘I know exactly how you feel’. Sound plausible, desirable? Would this, or another kind of intelligent machine, whatever that might mean, fulfill the necessary criteria for ‘ethical salience’? Would such an entity merit the moral status of a person, an animal, or would it be, due to the similar nature of its material composition, and its status as (supposedly) ‘non-living’, no different, ethically speaking, than a toaster? 

 

This paper investigates the question of what makes an entity ‘ethically salient’ using the above example of a robotic system as a test case. ‘Ethical salience’ is presented as a spectrum concept which entails an entity having an ethical significance in itself to a greater or lesser degree. ‘Ethical salience’ as such should be understood phenomenologically: an ethically salient entity is perceptually experienced as having an immediate ethical significance. The ethical salience of an entity is distinct from (although clearly related to) whatever specific ethical claims it may make on us not to harm it etc. For example, higher mammals would seemingly be uncontroversially candidates for ethically salience, but this fact is distinct, for example, from the question of whether we should eat them.

 

I argue that whether an entity has ethical salience is a question not of inner states of pain or suffering, or more broadly an ethical significance of life itself. Rather it is dependent upon certain types of expressive movement that manifest vulnerability. The manifestation of vulnerability in these types of movement, which function as signs that stimulate an experience of ethical salience, is independent from actual vulnerability. In other words, it is the sign that matters. This hypothesis is explored by drawing on the conceptual resources of Jakob von Uexküll’s biosemiotics and the phenomenological account of intersubjectivity, namely Edmund Husserl and Merleau-Ponty.  

Biosemiotic ethics session abstract posted on Chinese semiotics webpage

My session abstract Biosemiotic ethics, submitted to the 12th World Congress of Semiotics (Sofia, Bulgaria September 16-20 2014), has been posted on the Chinese webpage Forum of semiotics: See Biosemiotic ethics （生物符号学).

Biosemiotic ethics session scheduled for September 19th

The organisers of the 12th World Congress of Semiotics (Sofia, Bulgaria September 16-20 2014) have released a preliminary programme. My session "Biosemiotic ethics" has been scheduled for Friday September 19th, and merged with "New trends in bio/eco/zoosemiotics", chaired by Timo Maran and Kalevi Kull.

Deadline for abstract submission - directly to chairpersons - is June 30th.

Biosemiotic ethics session placed in Theoretical semiotics; Semiotics in the interdisciplinary context

The session "Biosemiotic ethics", which I am organising at the upcoming World congress of semiotics (Sofia, Bulgaria, September 16-20), has by now been placed within two program categories, namely "Theoretical semiotics" as well as "Semiotics in the interdisciplinary context". See also the program in terms of all the current prospective sessions. Prospective contributors to the Biosemiotic ethics session can send an abstract straight to me (for instructions, see the session abstract).

See also:

Session at12th world congress of semiotics: "Biosemiotic ethics"

World congress program re-presented online

The preliminary program (in-process) for the 12th World Congress of Semiotics, which will be held in Sofia, Bulgaria, 16-20 September 2014, has been reorganised online. Earlier on all proposed sessions were listed on one and the same page, but now each proposal with an abstract has its own subpage - including my proposed session, "Biosemiotic ethics". 

See also:

The process towards the 12th world congress of semiotics

Session at 12th world congress of semiotics: "Biosemiotic ethics"

The process towards the 12th world congress of semiotics

The organisers of the 12th world congress of semiotics, which will take place in Sofia, Bulgaria, September 16-20th 2014, have chosen an unconventional approach to abstract submission - see the call for papers. Now and for some two further months there are discussions on possible topics on social media including Facebook. This is where I first proposed having a session on biosemiotic ethics (see below). The deadline for ordinary abstract submission to the organisers is June 30th 2014, but it is also possible to contact chairs of prospective sessions - including me - directly, well ahead of that. And there is some additional wiggle room too (see the call for papers).

See also:

Session at 12th world congress of semiotics: "Biosemiotic ethics"

Session at 12th world congress of semiotics: "Biosemiotic ethics"

A week ago or so I composed an abstract for what will be either a roundtable or a study session at the forthcoming 12th world congress of semiotics, which will take place in Sofia, Bulgaria September 16-20th 2014. Individual abstracts can be sent straight to me - see address below. This session abstract has been posted on the webpage of the world congress, in the Biosemiosis blog, and on my Academia.edu page.

Biosemiotic ethics

Morten Tønnessen, University of Stavanger, Norway (mortentoennessen@gmail.com) 

A dozen to 20 years ago, two of the most central biosemioticians, first Jesper Hoffmeyer and then Kalevi Kull, addressed connections between biosemiotics and ethics. The last ten years a new generation of scholars have started working out a biosemiotic ethics. The foundational idea is that if all living systems are semiotic, then biosemiosis can serve as basis for justifying attribution of moral status to human and non-human individuals and to various ecological entities. Most of the scholars involved in this endeavor have taken Jakob von Uexküll’s Umwelt theory as their starting point. Recent relevant publications include a translation of Uexküll’s 1917 article “Darwin and the English Morality”, with a framing essay entitled ““Darwin und die englische Moral”: The Moral Consequences of Uexküll’s Umwelt Theory”. 

Relevant questions for discussion include but are not limited to the following: In what ways does a biosemiotic ethics potentially take us beyond sentience-centered approaches? Does biosemiotic ethics represent a new form of consequentialism, or should it be placed within some other tradition? What ramifications do different views on the semiotic threshold have within the context of normative ethics? Is there (something akin to) normativity in the very constitution of the Umwelt? Does the semiosphere at large (qua biosphere) have intrinsic value? And what, in terms of biosemiosis, is the origin of value?