34 The Cell Language Theory: Connecting Mind and Matterb2861 The Cell Language Theory: Connecting Mind and Matter “6x9”complementarity (PMSC), advanced by Pattee [88–91], may be viewed
as another important manifestation of PIEC. According to PMSC (later
renamed as the von Neumann–Pattee principle of matter–sign comple-
mentarity [21]), all selfreproducing systems have two complementary
aspects — physical law-governed material/energetic aspect and the
evolutionary rule- governed informational (or symbolic) aspect. Pattee
asserts that openended evolution is possible if and only if evolving sys
tems have both these aspects so as to effectuate what he calls a semantic
closure [92, 93].2.10 The Principle of Irreducible Triadicity
According to the metaphysics of Peirce [94–99], all phenomena, material
or mental, living or nonliving, comprise three basic elements — Firstness
(e.g., quality, feeling, possibilities), Secondness (e.g., facts, actualities,
reaction, interaction, brute force), and Thirdness (e.g., generality, laws,
habittaking, representation, reasoning). For example, in logic, there are
three and only three kinds of relations: C = monadic, A = dyadic, and
B = triadic relation. We may represent this principle diagrammatically as
shown in Figure 2.8.FirstnessSecondness Thirdness
Figure 2.8 A diagrammatic representation of the principle of irreducible triadicity of
firstness, secondness, and thirdness of Peirce [94–99].2.11 Symmetries and Symmetry Breakings
Symmetry is generally defined as “invariance under any kind of transfor
mation” (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Symmetry) or as “the existence of
different viewpoints from which the system appears the same” [100].
Darvas [101] provides a more detailed definition:
In a generalized sense, we can speak of symmetry ifb2861_Ch-02.indd 34 17-10-2017 11:39:04 AM