tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2564160362079542584.post5532921663438201195..comments2023-10-17T08:36:53.560-04:00Comments on The Peirce Blog: Shapiro on Christakis on the social sciencesBen Udellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18361083931729525642noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2564160362079542584.post-58403129849335877992013-09-03T02:07:54.534-04:002013-09-03T02:07:54.534-04:00"No matter how deep our knowledge of neural n..."No matter how deep our knowledge of neural networks, synapses, and the prefrontal cortex, such knowledge will always be fundamentally beside the point because it will explain neither semeiosis nor interpretation."<br /><br />Peirce would not agree with this, depending exactly on what this means. <br /><br />As far as I can tell, Peirce did not give fundamental priority to any particular science (or kind of science) in the explanation of semeiosis. So while neuroscience would not be THE source of explanation for semeiosis, it would likely be a considerable part of the explanation. <br /><br />First you have to consider that Peirce frequently refers to physiological facts in the explanation of some semeiosis. Consider pragmatisism and the "energetic interpretant". Pragmatism holds that all thought (thought-semeiosis) must play role in determing purposive behavior. Why? That's the big question. Behavior must play some role in connecting the thoughts to their objects (or at least their dynamical objects). Peirce is clear that indices are related to their objects causally, and all symbols have indexical elements (especially propositions). So how mental symbols (i.e., thoughts) connect to their objects causally? At some level the complete explanation must involve nervous habits, if action plays a role in connecting the symbol causally with its object. So neuroscience will be relevant to the explanation. So will the social sciences, since many human symbols are products of social-psychological forces. Again, I find nothing in Peirce that suggests that he favors only one level of explanation in the explanation sign activity. <br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2564160362079542584.post-13671929026249029742013-08-14T05:53:19.843-04:002013-08-14T05:53:19.843-04:00This is cool!This is cool!Thorstenhttp://bestellipticalsmachine.us/noreply@blogger.com