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state-transitions. Construction processes involve adding new coordinations (compu-
tations, states, state-transitions), measurements (sensors, observables), actions (ef-
fectors), goal states and evaluative criteria, and new construction mechanisms as
well. One can think of steering as switching between software alternatives, and con-
struction as the physical construction of new hardware. Steering (switching) pro-
cesses do not change the effective dimensionality of the system, whereas construc-
tion does. Many of these operations could be realised by analog, digital, or mixed
analog-digital processes.
These basic functionalities arguably account for the basic operational structure
of the observer-actor. There is the cycling of signals from sensors to coordinative
elements to effectors (outer loop in the diagram) and “feedback to structure” (inner
loops) in which evaluative mechanisms steer the modification and/or construction
of hardware (sensors, computational, coordinative structures, effectors).
15.3.2 Semiotics of Adaptive Devices
It is useful to discuss such devices and their creative capabilities in terms of the
semiotic triad of Charles Morris, which consists of syntactic, semantic, and prag-
matic aspects (Morris
1946
,Nöth
1990
). Syntactics describes rule-governed link-
ages between signs; semantics, the relation of signs to the external world; and prag-
matics, the relation of signs to purposes (goal states). These different semiotic re-
lations are superimposed on the functional schematic of cybernetic percept-action
devices in the bottom panel of Fig.
15.2
. The syntactic axis runs horizontally, from
sign-states related to sensory inputs to those related to coordinative transformations,
and finally to decision states that ultimately lead to actions. The semantic axis runs
vertically between the sign-states and the external world, where sensory organs de-
termine world-sign causalities and effectors determine sign-world causalities. The
pragmatic axis in the centre covers adaptive relationships between sign states and
embedded goals. These are implemented by evaluative and adjustment processes
that steer the percept-action linkages that govern behaviour and guide the construc-
tion of the device itself.
Some devices have fixed functionalities (stable systems), some can autonomously
switch amongst existing alternative states to engage in combinatorial search (com-
binatoric systems), and some can add functional possibilities to creating new prim-
itives (creative systems). Table
15.1
lists the effects of stable, combinatoric, and
creative change for different semiotic relations. Creative emergence in the syntactic
realm involves creation of new internal sign-states (or computational states) that
enable entirely new mappings between states. Creative emergence in the semantic
realm involves creating new observables and actions (e.g. sensors, effectors) that
contingently link the outer world with internal states. Creative emergence in the
pragmatic realm involves creating new goals and evaluative criteria. Table
15.1
and
Fig.
15.3
schematise different classes of devices with respect to their creative capa-
bilities.
