Cell Language Theory, The: Connecting Mind And Matter

284 The Cell Language Theory: Connecting Mind and Matter

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

leads to the counter-intuitive conclusion that signs and sign processes can

exist without human mind (although they would not yet have been given the

labels or names, “signs” or “sign processes”). Deely [294, 295] refers to

those signs that exist before human mind recognize them as such as “virtual

signs” and their processes as “virtual semiosis” in contrast to “actual signs”

and “actual semiosis” that are recognized by human mind. This situation

may be diagrammatically represented as shown in Figure 6.6.

6.9 Division of Sign Processes Based on the Nature and Size

of Sign Processors

Sign processes, both virtual and actual, as defined in Figure 6.6, can be

divided into distinct classes on the basis of the physical agent that carries

out sign processing, as shown in Figure 6.7. Also, semiosis can be divided

into macro- and microsemiosis based on the physical size of the signs

being processed (Figure 6.8).

The contents of Figures 6.7 and 6.8 are summarized in Table 6.12.

As alluded to earlier, in-depth and systematic investigations into the

nature and function of signs, from portraits and weathercocks to words

and ideas, were not undertaken until John Poinsot (1589–1644) and C.

Figure 6.6 The role of human mind in semiosis.

Human Mind

Virtual Signs/Virtual Semiosis Actual Signs/Actual Semiosis

Figure 6.7 Division of semiosis into seven groups or branches, according to the nature

(or qualitative properties) of sign processors.

Anthroposemiosis (4)

Zoösemiosis (5)

Biosemiosis

(2) Phytosemiosis (6)

Semiosis Cytosemiosis (7)

(1) also called Molecular Semiosis, Microsemiosis [23])

Physiosemiosis [281, 294, 295]

(3)

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