Friday, 15 January 2021

Abstract for NASS XII: "Neurosemiotics across species"

I have just submitted this abstract to the organizers of NASS XII (June 17-19, 2021, Vilnius) which has the theme "Meaning in Perception and the Senses":

 

Neurosemiotics across species  

Morten Tønnessen 

Professor of philosophy, Department of social studies, University of Stavanger 

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This paper (Tønnessen, forthcoming) depicts neurosemiotics across species by applying a biosemiotic perspective that builds on the Umwelt theory of Jakob von Uexküll. To understand the Umwelt of sentient organisms, we must understand neurosemiotic aspects of their experience and behaviour. The paper also examines fundamental issues in neurosemiotics, such as the nature of the neural code, and whether the neural code can be understood as a semiotic concept. Connections are made between a proper understanding of the neural code and the neurosemiotics that is implicit in the Umwelt theory. A further discussion concerns how different forms of neurosemiotic agency relates to organisms´ capacity for relating to objects, understood as discernable, unified wholes. This sheds light on neurosemiotic aspects of subjectivity across species. A final discussion addresses anthropocentrism in behavioral neuroscience, which is to some extent unavoidable given our necessarily human perspective in neurosemiotic studies.  

Reference 

Tønnessen, Morten, forthcoming. Neurosemiotics across species. In Adolfo García & Agustin Ibanez (eds.), Routledge Handbook of Neurosemiotics. Routledge.  

KEYWORDS 

Umwelt theory, neural codes, subjective experience, individuality, neurosemiotic agency  

BIONOTE 

Morten Tønnessen (born 1976) is professor of philosophy at University of Stavanger. He is the President of the Nordic Association for Semiotic Studies, and has served as Editor-in-Chief of Biosemiotics (2013–2020). His Ph.d. thesis “Umwelt transition and Uexküllian phenomenology: An ecosemiotic analysis of Norwegian wolf management” was defended at University of Tartu (2011). Academic (b)log: http://utopianrealism.blogspot.com/

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