Synopses & Reviews
Synthesizing the findings from a wide range of disciplines - from biology and anthropology to philosophy and linguistics - the emerging field of Biosemiotics explores the highly complex phenomenon of sign processing in living systems. Seeking to advance a naturalistic understanding of the evolution and development of sign-dependent life processes, contemporary biosemiotic theory offers important new conceptual tools for the scientific understanding of mind and meaning, for the development of artificial intelligence, and for the ongoing research into the rich diversity of non-verbal human, animal and biological communication processes. Donald Favareau's Essential Readings in Biosemiotics has been designed as a single-source overview of the major works informing this new interdiscipline, and provides scholarly historical and analytical commentary on each of the texts presented. The first of its kind, this book constitutes a valuable resource to both bioscientists and to semioticians interested in this emerging new discipline, and can function as a primary textbook for students in biosemiotics, as well. Moreover, because of its inherently interdisciplinary nature and its focus on the 'big questions' of cognition, meaning and evolutionary biology, this volume should be of interest to anyone working in the fields of cognitive science, theoretical biology, philosophy of mind, evolutionary psychology, communication studies or the history and philosophy of science.
Review
From the reviews:“If my library were reduced to having one single monograph on biosemiotics, I would recommend this one. … Essential Readings in Biosemiotics is no doubt a labor of love in which Favareau for several years invested considerable time and effort, driven by a desire to bestow a valuable and lasting gift on the practicing and prospective members of the biosemiotics community. … a tool valuable to both teachers and students, including autodidacts without formal links to academia.” (Eliseo Fernández, Metascience, April, 2011)
Review
From the reviews: "If my library were reduced to having one single monograph on biosemiotics, I would recommend this one. ... Essential Readings in Biosemiotics is no doubt a labor of love in which Favareau for several years invested considerable time and effort, driven by a desire to bestow a valuable and lasting gift on the practicing and prospective members of the biosemiotics community. ... a tool valuable to both teachers and students, including autodidacts without formal links to academia." (Eliseo Fernández, Metascience, April, 2011) "A fascinating insight into the co-evolution of language, sign systems and the brain is given ... . a journey from parts to principles in the very sense. ... Libraries should provide this book to students and researchers as it is a unique resource of articles and book excerpts to which only few universities have access to. ... Everyone who wants to know more about biosemiotics should have a look at this compilation. Also, the very extensive referencing provides even more interesting literature on the subject." (Robert Prinz, tripleC, Vol. 9 (1), 2011) "This book is about various aspects of the fundamental difference between mechanical and purposeful behavior. ... To those who analyze or design systems in open and unpredictable biological or social environments, this is a well-known difference. Therefore, the book should interest an audience that goes beyond biologists. ... Most papers in the book are easily accessible ... . Overall, the book is an excellent introduction to the exciting new area of biosemiotics--an area of interest and importance to all systems thinkers." (H. I. Kilov, ACM Computing Reviews, February, 2011)
Synopsis
The first of its kind, Donald Favareau's "Essential Readings in Biosemiotics" constitutes a valuable resource to both bioscientists and to semioticians interested in the emerging new discipline of Biosemiotics, and can function as a primary textbook for students in biosemiotics.
Table of Contents
Preface.- Introduction. 1. The Evolutionary History of Biosemiotics; D. Favareau.- Part 1: Sebeok's Precursors and Influences. 2. The Theory of Meaning; J. von Uexküll.- 3. The Logic of Signs; C.S. Peirce.- 4. Signs, Language and Behavior; C. Morris.- 5. Universe of Mind: The Semiophere; Y. Lotman.- Part 2: The Biosemiotic Project of Thomas A. Sebeok. 6. Biosemiotics: Its Roots and Proliferations; T.A. Sebeok.- 7. The Clever Hans Phenomenon; H. Hediger.- 8. Phytosemiotics; M. Krampen.- 9. Endosemiotics; T. von Uexküll.- 10. Signs and Codes in Immunology; G. Prodi.- 11. The Animal Mind; R. Thom.- 12. A Semiotic Perspective on the Sciences: Steps to a New Paradigm; M. Anderson et al.- Part 3: Independent Approaches to Biosemiotics. 13. Theoretical Biology on its Way to Biosemiotics; K. Kull.- 14. Laws of Symbolic Mediation; F.S. Rothschild.- 15. Concepts of Molecular Biosemiotics; M. Florkin.- 16. Form, Substance and Difference; G. Bateson.- 17. The Physics and Metaphysics of Biosemiotics; H. Pattee.- 18. The Symbolic Species; T.W. Deacon.- Part 4: The Contemporary Interdiscipline of Biosemiotics. 19. The Semiotics of Nature: Code-Duality; J. Hoffmeyer.- 20. Information and Semiosis in Living Systems; J. Queiroz et al.- 21. Readers of the Book of Life; A. Markoš.- 22. The Cybersemiotic Model of Communication; S. Brier.- 23. The Logos of the Bios; G. Witzany.- 24. Biosemiotics: A New Understanding of Life; M. Barbieri.- Bibliography and Further Readings.-