Cell Language Theory, The: Connecting Mind And Matter

Biosemiotics 283

“6x9” b2861 The Cell Language Theory: Connecting Mind and Matter

of a qualisign from the point of view of the cell. So, DNA can be any

one of these three representamens.

(b) Object — DNA as an object could be any one of the three

possibilities — icon, index, or symbol. The object of “DNA” would be

indexical, if DNA acts as a sinsign (i.e., as the carrier of specific

genes); symbolic, if DNA acts as a legisign (i.e., as a material substrate

selected by biological evolution as a medium of encoding genetic infor-

mation); and iconic, if DNA acts as qualisign (i.e., representing the

way the cells must “feel” as when they divide to become a mouse, a

horse, or a rose).

(c) Interpretant — DNA as an interpretant can be any of the three pos-

sibilities — rheme, dicent sign, and argument. DNA would be inter-

preted as representing a rheme, if DNA acted as an iconic qualisign

(see Class 1 sign in Table 6.7), an iconic sinsign (Class 2), an indexi-

cal sinsign (Class 3), an iconic legisign (Class 5), or an indexical

legisign (Class 6), or symbolic legisign (Class 8); it would be a decent

sign, if DNA acted as indexical sinsign (Class 4), or indexical legisign

(Class 7), or a symbolic legisign (Class 9); and it would be an argu-

ment if DNA acted as a symbolic legisign (Class 10).

Thus, we can conclude that the word “DNA” can act as any one of the

10 classes of signs defined in Table 6.7, depending on the role it plays in

a given context of discourse. The 10 classes of signs that Peirce “discov-

ered” about 100 years ago based primarily on observations made at the

level of human sign processes, which are by and large macroscopic in

scale, appears to be applicable to sign processes in and among living cells

which are microscopic in scale [22, 23].

6.8 Real vs. Virtual Semiosis

It is important to realize that semiosis (e.g., cloud formation before rain

as perceived by farmers as signs of rain; appearance of bodily symptoms

in patients as perceived by physicians) as a physical process long pre-

ceded the emergence of semiotics as a systematic study of sign processes

carried out by humans. In other words, clouds preceded rain and symp-

toms appeared in diseased human body long before they were recognized

as signs by appropriately trained human mind. This simple observation

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